SOUTH WEST HERITAGE TRUST

This talk provides a brief introduction to the history of the Somerset Archives service. It provides an introduction to the main groups of records we hold (including Church records and the records of the very rich and the very poor), explains how we list and look after archives, and provides a summary of some of the other services we provide.

Family historians make up the largest percentage of our users and with programmes such as Who Do You Think You Are and the availability of websites such as Ancestry and Find My Past, family history or genealogy continues to grow in popularity. This talk provides a brief introduction to the types of records that can help you put together your family tree.

This talk covers some of the main sources available for house history research in the archives and suggests what information may be found in these sources.

This talk includes information on documents from the history of crime prevention and crime punishment in Somerset.  Topics include the Assize courts and the Quarter Sessions, Gaol records, and the police.

A look at ordinary women who are represented in a range of documents held at the Somerset Heritage Centre, including parish registers and correspondence.  Some notable examples are included and some interesting stories are uncovered.

A talk detailing the history of the Somerset Light Infantry from 1685 - 1959, including its role in the 1st Afghan War, the 1st Burmese War, the two World Wars and the Malayan Emergency.   This is followed by details on the main sources held at the Somerset Heritage Centre and nationally for researching the British Army and the Somerset Light Infantry. 

This talk looks at documents useful in researching archaeology and local history, such as maps and records of archaeologists held in the archives.

The Quarter Sessions were the local court system in existence from 1363 - 1972, and heard all types of criminal and civil cases. Using examples from the Somerset session papers, typical crimes such as larceny, drunkenness, adultery, illegitimacy and witchcraft are discussed.

This talk is about certain aspects of the history of Taunton, its public health and housing.

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*PLEASE NOTE this talk is unavailable from late September 2018 until July 2019; and available during daytime only from July 2019 until March 2020*

Gathering and preparing food is obviously a topic that goes right back into the very beginnings of civilisation.  Our earliest recipe is from the 1600s, and we have recipes going right up to almost the present day.

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*PLEASE NOTE this talk is unavailable from late September 2018 until July 2019; and available during daytime only from July 2019 until March 2020*

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The subject of music is vast, and one cannot hope to cover everything in an evening.  Instead, what I am going to show you are glimpses into the history of music provided to us by records held at the Somerset Heritage Centre. 

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*PLEASE NOTE this talk is unavailable from late September 2018 until July 2019; and available during daytime only from July 2019 until March 2020*

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“The poor are always with us”, and in this talk we'll look at the ways that England dealt with its poor over the centuries. 

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*PLEASE NOTE this talk is unavailable from late September 2018 until July 2019; and available during daytime only from July 2019 until March 2020*

The Hylton estate archive is held at the Somerset Heritage Centre, and provides a fascinating insight into the lives of the people who owned and managed the estate, which has its seat at Ammerdown in Kilmersdon.  This talk tells some of these stories, ranging from coal-mining to politics and from engineering to local history. It mainly concentrates on the 18th and 19th centuries.

Somerset is a very rural county, and this talk explores some of the challenges and changes taking place in the county during the period.  It looks at themes including agriculture, education and housing, as well as wider impacts such as overseas competition and national trends.  Find out how Somerset faired in the period up until the outbreak of the First World War.

There has always been a need for people to get about and the geography of the large rural county of Somerset presented its own challenges.  This talk explains some of the sources that are available to research transport in Somerset, particularly from the 18th century onwards.

This talk examines instances of weather mentioned in documents held in Somerset Archives.  The talk examines methods of predicting and recording weather, and uses the 1703 Great Storm as a case study for further research.

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*PLEASE NOTE this talk is unavailable from late September 2018 until July 2019; and available during daytime only from July 2019 until March 2020*

To find out more, please see our Talks leaflet.  We also offer behind-the-scenes tours of the Somerset Heritage Centre.  Please contact us on 01823 278805 or somersetarchives@swheritage.org.uk or fill in the form to book your talk.