The Founding of Bedwyn History Society
The inaugural meeting of the Society was held on 17th November, 1995 in the Royal British Legion Club in the High Street. The meeting had been advertised in Parish News, and it attracted 14 people. The Minutes of this meeting stated, “Andrew Hutchison and Val Patrick had been interested in local history for some time. They had had the idea of forming a society with the view to eventually writing a history of the village and its surroundings. They had contacted anyone they thought might share this interest, hence this meeting.”
There was a general discussion and it was agreed that a History Society should be formed with four main areas of interest:
- Research into the history of the village etc.
- Publishing interesting items for residents and others to read and enjoy.
- Liaising with other local history and similar societies in the area (e.g. Little Bedwyn History Society) to share knowledge and study material and avoid duplication.
- Holding meetings to which knowledgeable speakers would be invited.
It was agreed that Barbara Croucher, the distinguished author of a history of Ramsbury, “The Village in the Valley” would be asked to speak at the first meeting early in the New Year.
Barbara Croucher agreed to arrange the first meeting. She had asked how many people to expect, and Andrew had advised her that there might be about a dozen. To the amazement of all, and especially of Barbara, no fewer than 45 people attended. The title of Barbara’s talk was, “Discovering the Past, Sources and Signs” She had brought some source material for about a dozen but had to do some quick thinking to re-design her talk which was, in the event, a great success.
Val Patrick and Andrew Hutchison were elected officers of the new Bedwyn History Society.
The first publication of The Bedwyn MSS (later to be named the Bedwyn Chronicles) was published and delivered to members in Winter 1996
Since then, the society has continued to thrive and attract members. We continue to meet regularly to hear invited speakers on a variety of historical topics, once a month from September to May each year. We look forward to celebrating our 30th anniversary in 2025.
We are always keen to welcome new members to our society and so please see our Membership page for more details.
Bedwyn History Society 