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Gloucestershire Family History Society

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Gloucestershire Family History Society

The Gloucestershire Family History Society was formed in 1979, as an off-shoot of Bristol & Avon FHS We hope you enjoy your researching with us.

Did your ancestors live or work in Gloucestershire? – If so we can help you in your research.

•Visit the Family History Centre to use our research facilities which include free access to Ancestry, Find My Past and The Genealogist. Get advice from knowledgable volunteers or browse our extensive library of world wide interest.

•Come to Monthly Meetings in Gloucester, or the Forest of Dean

•Visit our Shop which has many books, transcriptions and CDs of local history & interest for sale.

•Join Us and become one of our friendly community of researchers who receive quarterly Journals and access to local search registers via our search services service. The Gloucestershire Family History Society (GFHS) is a self-help organisation devoted to all researching their ancestors and the background against which they led their lives in Gloucestershire and beyond.

10/12/2025

Meysey Hampton - continued

Unusually, the parish does not have a Tithe Apportionment map and schedule. What we do have, and can view on the Know Your Place website, is the Enclosure map of 1779, giving a wealth of detail.

The schedule is not online, but can be viewed at Gloucestershire Archives.

Thanks to https://maps.bristol.gov.uk/kyp/?edition=glos for the image.

08/12/2025

Meysey Hampton - continued

The truly remarkable feature in St Mary's church is the monument to James Vaulx, a physician, and his two wives, with their 16 children arrayed beneath them.

Vaulx died on March 17th 1626. His fame was such that it is said he was consulted by James I who thought about appointing him his own royal physician. On enquiring how he had obtained his knowledge and healing art the Doctor replied, ‘By practice’. The King rejoined, ‘Then by my saul thou hast killed money a man, thou shalt na’practise upon me’.

07/12/2025

Don't forget to save the date for our Christmas Social and Quiz, here at the Hub, between 2pm and 4pm. This will be a joint event with the Friends of Gloucestershire Archives.
Note that the Family History Centre will be closed from 12.30pm.

06/12/2025

Meysey Hampton - continued

The interior of the church is plain, but with some remarkable features, such as the lectern, complete with a chain to keep the Bible secure, and carved with 'Christian Jacketts, 1622', a beautifully-decorated organ, a pair of lancet windows, with a detached central shaft, and a now-blocked anchorites hagioscope.

05/12/2025

Our next online talk, on 10th December from 7.30pm, will be 'Who was the Father? How DNA helped find the answer' by Jane Hough.

Jane’s talk combines her personal story of trying to identify the unnamed father on a birth certificate with explaining various aspects of DNA research in a simple, non-technical way. She focuses on using Ancestry DNA tests and the Ancestry website, along with third-party tools.

https://gfhs.org.uk/event/who-was-the-father-how-dna-helped-find-the-answer-jane-hough/

04/12/2025

Meysey Hampton - continued

Unusually, we know exactly when the church was built, as the records show that the Bishop of Worcester consecrated it in on 9 June 1269.

It was probably built by the Knights Templar, and, from this angle, it appears quite stark, with its slender lancet windows.

There are 3 mass dials on the wall of the south transept.

02/12/2025

The parish for December is Meysey Hampton.

Like Kingscote, the village sits away from the main road (in this case, the A417), so that one could drive past without being aware of it. It is in Southern Cotswolds, on the border with Wiltshire.

The de Meysi family held both Marston Meysey (across the border in Wiltshire) and Meysey Hampton (Glos.) until the lands were divided by inheritance in the 13th century.

01/12/2025

Kingscote - absolutely the last post

Mr Tim Sage has been kind enough to share several pictures of Kingscote with me, which I shall put on the GFHS website, along with all these posts.

I couldn't resist a final picture of the village football team from 1930, which maybe someone can recognise an ancestor in?

30/11/2025

Kingscote - finis

We all connect Edward Jenner with the field of immunisation, but he was also fascinated by ballooning.

At 2pm on 2 September 1784 he released an unmanned balloon from the Inner Keep at Berkeley Castle. The balloon was made from silk and taffeta, and filled with hydrogen.

It came down in a field near Kingscote Park. The labourers harvesting the hay were apparently so terrified that they fled, and it took much persuasion to get them to return.

Jenner, pursuing his balloon on horseback, met Miss Catherine Kingscote, and they fell in love and married four years later.

The balloon was subsequently relaunched from Kingscote, and in the best romantic traditions, rose into the air carrying a poem, specially written by Jenner’s friend Edward Gardner, and dedicated to Catherine, his new found love.

It is possible that it came to earth a little over 20 miles away on high ground near Birdlip Hill.

A simple brass plaque in the porch of Kingscote church commemorates this marriage which ‘brought him much happiness'.

28/11/2025

Kinsgcote - continued

The North transept of Kinsgscote church (previously the family pew) is now closed off and has become a rather gloomy lumber room. In the corner are stacked these Benefaction Boards, detailing John Wight's legacies to the parishes of Kingscote and Newington Bagpath in his will of 1839. (I presume those for Newinton Bagpath were relocated at that churches closure).

The Wight family were also established in Tetbury, and were mill owners in Sheepscombe. A John Wight designed and built The church there. Unfortunately, it is difficult to distinguish various branches of the family, to ascertain who this is.

27/11/2025

On 6th December, our Saturday event at the Heritage Hub will focus on Gloucestershire's industrial heritage and feature two historical talks, a document display, stands from local heritage organisations, and free refreshments throughout the day!

Plus, the Family History Centre will be open for research from 10am to 4pm, and our second hand book stall will be available.

Booking for the two talks is essential - go to
https://www.heritagehub.org.uk/events/gone-but-not-forgotten/

26/11/2025

Kingscote - continued

Rev'd Cornwall lived at Ashcroft House, in Bagpath. His eldest son succeeded him to the living, but his two younger sons, Clement and Henry, emigrated to British Columbia during the gold rush. Finding that there were more stories of disaster than riches they decide to build a town to provide a place for prospectors to rest and replenish. They named the town Ashcroft. The town museum holds pictures and maps of Bagpath a small link to its origins.

Both of the brothers were avid proponents of "gentlemen's sports", especially horse-racing and fox-hunting. The Ashcroft Manor Ranch was memorable for its hunting parties, with Cornwall's select group of foxhounds, from the Duke of Beaufort's celebrated kennels, put in hot pursuit of the local coyotes instead of foxes, and lavish social entertainments for any guests visiting during the hunt.

I have no image of Ashcroft House - this is the Reading Room, now the Village Hall, in the village.

Address

Gloucestershire Heritage Hub, Clarence Row, Alvin Street
Gloucester
GL13AH

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 4pm
Tuesday	10am - 4pm
Wednesday	10am - 4pm
Thursday	10am - 4pm
Friday	10am - 4pm

Telephone

+441452524344

Website

https://gfhs.org.uk/

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