Ashwell Village Museum
Resource Centre Welcome Booklet
A brief outline of the resources available at the museum and where to look for them
Getting Started
Page 2
Digital Resources
Museum Community Archive Website
3
On-line Catalogue of Items in the Museum Collection
4
Picture and Photo Archive
4
E-Library of Documents and Transcripts
5
Film, Video and DVD Collection
6
Printed Resources
Books
7
Ashwell Parish Documents
9
Catalogue of Maps
10
Newspaper Cuttings
13
Ashwell News
13
Ashwell Yearbook
13
Parish Council Minutes
14
Registers and Documents from Other Parishes
14
Deeds
15
Ashwell Documents from Westminster Abbey
15
Local Historians’ Documents and Notes
16
Other Resources
Loan Boxes
18
1
Getting Started
Ashwell Village Museum
is home not only to a large collection of
artefacts from Ashwell and the surrounding area, but also to a Resource
Centre, which was established in 2010, partly with a generous grant from the
Heritage Lottery Fund.
The Resource Centre is situated in the upstairs back room of the Museum.
It is open on:
- Monday evenings, from 7.00 to 9.00, and
- Thursday afternoons, from 2.00 to 5.00
Peter Greener the Curator and a group of local volunteers are
there to help you at these times;
-
at other times by arrangement with Peter (01462 742956)
Some of the electronic resources are available on-line. See pages 3 and 4 for
details. Many other resources can be accessed using the computer in the
Resource Centre, as follows:

Use the left hand computer and click on the Museum icon.

In the strip of icons at the bottom left of the screen click on the second (Windows
Explorer) icon from the left. It looks like a collection of little yellow folders with tabs
sticking up.

Follow the route: Museum > Documents > Museum A > Ashwell Data
The following pages give a brief outline of all the resources available and
details of how and where you can find them.
2
Digital Resources
Museum Community Archive Website
The Museum’s website provides a constantly expanding and evolving on-line
community archive. From its Home Page you can follow links to the following
subject areas:
 About Us, which is the story of the Museum itself.
 Places: including sections on Allotments, Ashwell Bury, Ashwell Quarry
Nature Reserve, Fordham’s Ashwell Brewery, Church & Chapel,
Individual House Histories, Pubs, Shops.
 People: including sections on Local Biographies, Priests, Ashwell men
who served in the First World War; and individual pages about Charlotte
Morice, Frederick Ernest Webster, Henry Leverett and Ashwell’s first bus
service, Local artist Peter Gilman, and William A Appleton who was the
Secretary of the General Federation of Trades Unions.
 Topics: including pages on Ashwell’s water history, Ashwell Scouts, Birds,
Senuna (Romano-British goddess), The Auxiliary Fire Service in the
1940s, Foden wagons, The Black Death.
To visit the Museum Community Archive Website, follow the link below:
www.ashwellmuseum.org.uk
Please remember that you are encouraged to play an active part in the
development of the site if you wish because you are welcome to add your own
contributions and comments.
3
On-line Catalogue of Items in the Museum Collection
You can gain access to any items held in the museum collection through the
on-line catalogue. The principal feature of the catalogue is a search engine,
which will help you to follow up your own line of enquiry. Find the search box
on the very top right of the home page and type in the subject you wish to
study.
The catalogue also has direct links to some of the most popular and interesting
items.
To use the On-line Catalogue, follow the link below:
www.catalogue.ashwellmuseum.org.uk
Picture and Photo Archive
The Museum has a collection of nearly five thousand pictures and
photographs. These are all accessible on-line via the On-line Catalogue.
To use the On-line Catalogue, follow the link below:
www.catalogue.ashwellmuseum.org.uk
The search engine will help you to extract the picture(s) and/or photo(s) which
interest you. Find the search box on the very top right of the home page and
type in the name of the person, family, building, street, place or object you
wish to study.
4
E-Library of Documents and Transcripts
A library of Ashwell data is stored electronically but not available via the
website. You are welcome to see this material but you will need to use one of
the computers in the upstairs Resource Centre at the Museum. The following
resources are available:
 Ashwell Documents, including:
Index of Wills 980-1981, Ashwell Hearth Tax Returns 1662-1674,
Ashwell Poll Books 1722-1832, Ashwell Militia Lists 1758-1786,
Ashwell Land Tax Returns 1780-1 and 1801-32.
 Census returns for the parish of Ashwell, for the years:
1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881 and 1891.
 Archives and Records from Ashwell United Reformed Church, including:
General History, Finding your Ancestors in the URC Churchyard, Register of
Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, Roll of Church Members, List of Pastors and
Ministers, Minutes, Financial Records, Seating Plan for 1935-43, Property
Repairs and Refurbishments 1880-1944.
How to access the E-Library:

Contact the Curator, Peter Greener, 01462 742956, to arrange a visit to the Museum.

In the Resource Centre use the left hand computer and click on the Museum icon.

In the strip of icons at the bottom left of the screen click on the second (Windows
Explorer) icon from the left. It looks like a collection of little yellow folders with tabs
sticking up.

Follow the route: Museum > Documents > E-Library of Ashwell Data.
5
Film, Video and DVD Collection
The Museum has a good collection, dating back to a silent, black-and-white film of
the Ashwell celebrations held in honour of the coronation of King George VI in 1937
The following highlights from the collection appear on the Ashwell Flashback DVD,
published in 2005:
1. Coronation Celebration of George VI 1937
2. Merchant Taylors’ School: plays and scything demonstration, 1938-9
3. Sir John Newsom’s Village Film, 1948
4. Football match: Ashwell v. Russells, 1948
5. Children playing in Dixies Close, c.1950
6. Ashwell Primary School goes to summer camp, 1953
7. 100 Years On, centenary of the opening of the large classroom, Merchant
Taylors’ School, 1976
8. Ashwell Primary School Centenary Celebrations, 1978
9. Ashwell Chronicle, a year in the life of Ashwell village, filmed 1981-5
Other items in the collection include:
Look Stranger, a television programme from the 1970s, featuring the work of the
historian and local resident, John Morris
Village Show: Ashwell, a 30-minute television programme from 1994, featuring a
wide range of Ashwell people and places.
The Ashwell Flashback DVD is available for purchase from the Museum at £6.
How to access the Film, Video and DVD collection:

Contact the Curator, Peter Greener, 01462 742956, to arrange a visit to the Museum.

In the Resource Centre use the left hand computer and click on the Museum icon.

In the strip of icons at the bottom left of the screen click on the second (Windows
Explorer) icon from the left. It looks like a collection of little yellow folders with tabs
sticking up.

Follow the route: Museum > Videos.
6
Printed Resources
Books
The books in the Resource Centre are all entered in the Museum’s on-line
catalogue (see page 3 above for details of how to access it). You can also visit
the library and use it in person. The books are shelved in the upstairs Resource
Centre, at the right hand end of the room as you enter. The library contains
books, booklets, documents and transcripts in the following sections:
History of Ashwell – 18 titles, including
 Tudor Churchwardens’ Accounts, 1563-1603
 Ashwell Parish Registers, 1604-1837
 Accounts of the Ashwell Overseers of the Poor, 1722-69
 Transcripts of Ashwell Documents, including Parish Registers, Local
Charities, Apprenticeship Indentures, Militia Lists etc.
 Extracts from the National Censuses for the years 1851, 1891 and 1901
 A Different World, Ashwell before 1939, by Albert Sheldrick,
one of the founders of Ashwell Museum (c.1989)
 Snippets of Ashwell History, by David Short (Ashwell resident) (1997)
 Ashwell: an example of an Anglo-Saxon town, by David Short, in A
County of Small Towns, Terry Slater and Nigel Goose eds. (2008)
 The good, the bad and the absent: Merchant Taylors’ School, Ashwell,
1669-2001, by David Short, in Herts. Past and Present, 3rd series, Issue
15, Spring 2010.
cont. >
7
Books - continued
History of Hertfordshire – 24 titles, including
 The Buildings of England: Hertfordshire, by Nicklaus Pevsner (1953)
 Domesday Book, Latin and English parallel text, ed. John Morris of
Ashwell (1976)
 Biography of John Newsome, educationist and Ashwell resident,
by David Parker (2005)
General Local History and Country Life – 75 titles,
including some on object history and identification
Care and Conservation of Historical Objects – 13 titles
Learned Journals and Papers – 50 titles,
including the East Hertfordshire Archaeological Transactions 1899-1949
Hertfordshire County Records Sessions Books – 5 volumes of legal cases,
covering the years 1619-1840
History of Hitchin – 3 volumes by Reginald Hine (c.1927),
donated by the author
Letchworth - by Mervyn Miller (Ashwell resident), (2nd edn.2002)
The Age of Arthur – by John Morris (Ashwell resident), (1973)
Flora of Hertfordshire – by Trevor James (Ashwell resident), (2009)
Older Books in the Museum Library Collection – 60 further titles,
mostly published before 1939 and covering a range of subjects.
8
Ashwell Parish Documents
The Museum holds transcripts and photocopies of other historic Parish
Documents, which are not yet available on-line but can be studied in the
upstairs Resource Centre at the Museum. These documents were donated by
the Ashwell Field Studies Centre when it closed in 1999.
They include:
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Names of Ashwell Churchwardens, 1562-1747.
Ashwell Churchwardens' Accounts, 1563-1746, transcripts.
Ashwell Churchwardens' Charity Accounts, 1719-1809, transcripts.
Ashwell Parish Registers of baptisms, marriages and burials, 1604-1837,
transcripts.
Alphabetical Index of Surnames featured in the above, 1604-1837.
Ashwell Friends' (Quaker) Registers of baptisms, marriages and burials,
1716-1837, transcripts.
Ashwell Independent Meeting House Registers of baptisms, marriages
and burials, 1796-1837, transcripts.
Ashwell Terriers (land ownership documents), various, 1618-1812,
transcripts and photocopies.
Names of Ashwell Parish Constables, 1661-1741.
Ashwell Parish Constables' Accounts, 1661-1741, transcripts.
Names of the Ashwell Overseers of the Poor, 1676-1810.
Accounts of the Ashwell Overseers of the Poor, 1677-1783,
transcripts and photocopies.
Ashwell Settlement Certificates, 1702-1794, list and some photocopies.
Ashwell Apprenticeship Indentures, 1726-1862,
transcripts and photocopies.
Ashwell Vestry Minutes, 1831-91, abstract.
These documents are stored in the upstairs Resource Centre of the Museum, in
box files on the shelves to the left of the door as you go into the room.
9
Catalogue of Maps and Plans
These are not yet available electronically but can been studied on site.
Unless otherwise stated they are kept in Plan Drawer 6 in the downstairs store
at the Museum.
Catalogue and maps arranged in chronological order. The map numbers are
written on the top right hand corners of the map undersides.
Map no.
Publisher
Date
Scale
1
Wm Faden
1782
2
anon.
1841
3
anon.
1841
(Detail of above)
4
anon.
1841
(Detail of above)
5
anon.
1841
Ashwell Town Area
6
anon.
1841
7
anon.
1841
8
?
1:25,000?
(Detail of Parish Map
above)
(Detail of Parish Map
above)
untitled
1:10,560
Official Title
Area Covered
Topographical map
Ashwell, Hinxworth, Bigrave (sic), Odsey, Royston,
Barley &c.
Ashwell Parish, naming old open fields.
Ashwell Parish Map
9
O.S.
early 19th
c?
1877
1:10,560
Herts. Sheets I and IV
Quarry Field, Little Field and North Field (old open
fields).
Centre of Ashwell, pre-great fire, extending N. to the
Bury.
Showing southern end of ancient enclosed fields in
detail.
Showing northern end of ancient enclosed fields in
detail.
Biggleswade, Edworth, Hinxworth, Ashwell,
Newnham &c.
Eastern half of whole of Ashwell parish.
10
O.S.
1877
1:10,560
Herts.Sheet VIII (pt.)
Bygrave, Wallington, Roe Green, Gannock, Redhill.
11
O.S.
1877
1:2,500
Herts. Sheet II.13
Mobbs Hole, Mobbs Hole Farm.
12
O.S.
1877
1:2,500
Herts. Sheets III.3 & III.4
Barrowsford Bridge.
13
O.S.
1877
1:2,500
Herts. Sheet III.8
Bluegates Farm, Ashwell End, Bury End Hinxworth.
14
O.S.
1877
1:2,500
Herts. Sheet III.12
15
O.S.
1877
1:2,500
Herts. Sheet III.16
Hinxworth Place, The Cuckoo, The Quarry, Arbury
Banks.
Newnham.
16
O.S.
1877
1:2,500
Herts. Sheet IV.1
Northfields Road, Kirby Manor Farm.
17
O.S.
1877
1:2,500
Herts. Sheet IV.5
Elbrook, The Bury, Brewery, Mill.
18
O.S.
1877
1:2,500
Herts. Sheet IV.5 (pt.)
Western half of the above.
19
O.S.
1877
1:2,500
Herts. Sheet IV.5 (pt.)
Western half of the above.
20
O.S.
1877
1:2,500
Herts. Sheet IV.5 (pt.)
Eastern half of the above.
21
O.S.
1877
1:2,500
Herts. Sheet IV.5 (pt.)
Eastern half of the above.
22
O.S.
1877
1:2,500
Herts. Sheet IV.9 (pt.)
Station Rd, Redlands, The Fox, The Sinks (sic).
23
O.S.
1877
1:2,500
Herts. Sheet IV.9 (pt.)
Station Rd, Redlands, The Fox, The Sinks (sic).
24
O.S.
1877
1:2,500
Herts. Sheet IV.10
Odsey.
25
O.S.
1877
1:2,500
Herts. Sheet IV.13
The Knoll, Pembroke Fm, Slip End, Highley Hill.
26
O.S.
1877
1:2,500
Herts. Sheet IV.14 (pt.)
Hare & Hounds (Slip End), Deadman's Hill.
27
O.S.
1877
1:2,500
Herts. Sheet VIII.1
Bygrave and Hare Park.
10
28
Gall&Inglis
late19th c?
Hertfordshire
Road and railway map.
29
O.S.
1882
30
O.S.
c. 1890
1:2,500
untitled
Ashwell Village.
1:2,500
untitled
Ashwell Village.
31
O.S.
1898
1:2,500
Herts. Sheet IV.5 (pt.)
Elbrook, The Bury, Brewery, Mill, Cold Harbour (sic).
32
O.S.
1898
1:2,500
Herts. Sheet IV.5 (pt.)
Mordens Road, Ruddery Spring, Roman Cemetery.
33
O.S.
1898
1:2,500
Herts. Sheet IV.9 (pt.)
Ashwell Village, Claybush Hill.
34
O.S.
1898
1:2,500
Herts. Sheet IV.9 (pt.)
Station Rd, Redlands, The Fox, The Sinks (sic).
35
O.S.
1903
1:2,500
untitled
Ashwell Village.
36
O.S.
1906
1:63,360
Sheet 204
37
O.S.based
1924
?
Ashwell in 1924
38
O.S.based
1924
?
Ashwell in 1924
39
O.S.
1924
1:2,500
Herts. Sheet IV.5 (pt.)
40
O.S.
1924
1:2,500
Herts. Sheet IV.5 (pt.)
Biggleswade, Sandy, Potton, Royston, Ashwell,
Hinxworth.
Shops/Pubs numbered/lettered in red on map;
named in key.
Shops/Pubs numbered/lettered on map; named in
key.
Elbrook, The Bury, Brewery, Mill, Cold Harbour,
Burial Ground.
Morden Road, Ruddery Spring, Baldwins Corner.
41
O.S.
1924
1:2,500
Herts. Sheet IV.9 (pt.)
Station Rd, Redlands, The Fox, The Sinks (sic).
42
O.S.
1924
1:2,500
Herts. Sheet IV.9 (pt.)
Ashwell Village, Claybush Hill.
43
O.S.
1925
1:10,650
Herts.IV NW
Ashwell Bury, Elbrook, Coldharbour, Steeple Morden
44
O.S.
1925
1:10,650
Herts.IV SW
Ashwell and Odsey.
45
O.S.
1929
1:63,360
Sheet 85
Cambridge, Ashwell, Newmarket and Saffron
Walden.
46
Bacon&Co
1931
47
O.S.
1947
1:10,650
Herts.II SW
Mobb's Hole, Guilden Morden, Abington Pigotts.
48
O.S.
1947
1:10,650
Herts.IV SW
Ashwell and Odsey.
49
O.S.
1947
1:10,650
Herts.IV SW
Ashwell and Odsey.
50
O.S.
1947
1:10,650
Herts.VIII NW
Bygrave and Wallington; includes Hare Park.
51
O.S.
1947
1:10,650
Herts.VIII NW
Bygrave and Wallington; includes Hare Park.
52
O.S.
1948
1:10,650
Herts.III NE
Ashwell End, Hinxworth and Edworth.
53
O.S.
1950
1:10,650
Herts.IV NW
Ashwell Bury, Elbrook, Coldharbour, Steeple Morden
54
O.S.
1950
1:10,560
Herts.III SE
Newnham and Caldecote.
55
O.S.
1956
1:25,000
Sheet TL23
Letchworth, Baldock, Ashwell Village etc.
56
O.S.
1959
1:10,560
Sheet TL24SE
Ashwell Bury, Ashwell End, Elbrook, Mordens.
57
O.S.
1959
1:10,560
Sheet TL24SW
Hinxworth, Edworth and Dunton.
58
O.S.
1961
1:25,000
Sheet TL23
Letchworth, Baldock, Ashwell Village etc.
59
O.S.
1964
1:25,000
Sheet TL24
60
O.S.
1967
1:2,500
Plan TL2438 and 2538
Ashwell Bury, Ashwell End, Elbrook, Hinxworth,
Eyeworth etc.
Newnham Hill.
61
O.S.
1967
1:2,500
Plan TL2439 and 2539
62
HCC
1967
1:1,250
Conservation Area
63
HCC
1967
!:1,250
Conservation Area
Hinxworth Rd, Quarry (Nature Reserve), Love Lane,
The Cuckoo.
Eastern section - Forester's Cottages to War
Memorial.
Western section - West End to Vine Cottage.
64
O.S.
1968
1:25,000
Sheet TL23
Letchworth, Baldock, Ashwell Village etc.
65
O.S.
1968
1:10,000
Sheet TL23NW
Newnham, Radwell, Caldecote, Stotfold, Astwick, &c.
66
O.S.
1969
1:2,500
Plan TL2437 and 2537
Newnham.
67
O.S.
1970
1:10,560
Sheet TL23NE
Ashwell, Odsey, Bygrave.
Map of Hertfordshire
11
68
O.S.
1973
1:2,500
Plan TL2443-2543
Fields between Dunton Lodge and Eyeworth Lodge.
69
O.S.
1974
1:2,500
Plan TL2440-2540
70
O.S.
1974
1:2,500
Plan TL2441-2541
Ashwell End, Bluegates Farm, Love Lane, Bury End
(Hinxworth).
Barrowsford Bridge.
71
O.S.
1974
1:2,500
Plan TL2442-2542
Dunton Lodge.
72
O.S.
1974
1:2,500
Plan TL2636-2736
Bygrave.
73
O.S.
1974
1:2,500
Plan TL2637-2737
The Knoll, Cat Ditch, Pembroke Farm.
74
O.S.
1974
1:2,500
Plan TL2640-2740
Ashwell Bury, Dairy, Elbrook, Burial Ground.
75
O.S.
1974
1:2,500
Plan TL2641-2741
Coldharbour, Northfields Road.
76
O.S.
1974
1:2,500
Plan TL2642-2742
77
O.S.
1974
1:2,500
Plan TL2643-2743
Northfields, Kirby's Manor Farm, Highfield Farm
(Guilden).
Mobb's Hole, Mobb's Hole Farm, Guilden Morden.
78
O.S.
1974
1:2,500
Plan TL2644-2744
Three county point, Dubbs Knoll (Guilden).
79
O.S.
1974
1:2,500
Plan TL2837-2937
Slip End, Highley Hill, Odsey Park (part of).
80
O.S.
1975
1:2,500
Plan TL2638-2738
Arbury Banks, Claybush Hill.
81
O.S.
1975
1:2,500
Plan TL2639-2739
Ashwell Village.
82
O.S.
1975
1:2,500
Plan TL2839-2939
Half Acre, Redlands, The Fox, The Cinques, &c.
83
NHDC
1980
1:10,000
Ashwell Parish Map
84
O.S.
1983
1:10,000
Sheet TL23NE
Also Hinxworth, Newnham, Caldecote, Radwell and
Odsey.
Ashwell, Odsey, Bygrave.
85
n/a
2000
?
Ashwell Farmyards 1900
Farmyards named and highlighted.
86
n/a
2000
?
Ashwell Farmyards 2000
Farmyards named and highlighted.
The following maps and plans are located in the numbered archive boxes or plan chest
drawers in the downstairs store, as indicated.
Box
Date
Scale
Official Title
Area Covered
Archive 27
Accession
No.
2007.10.
1834
1:63,360
Sheet 62 Woburn
Archive 10
1946.22.1
1916
?
Map of Ashwell
Stony Stratford to Ashwell (N); Aylesbury to
Hertingfordbury (S).
Ashwell Parish.
Lgp 12
1995.119
1929
Plan of Highway
Plan of former road between Hodwell and Springhead.
Archive 27
2005.71.2
2000
Parish Bounds
Ashwell Parish, with emphasis on parish boundaries.
Plan Chest 1
1994.224.1
1912
1:0,240
Arbury Banks
Sections through Arbury Banks.
Plan Chest 1
1994.224.2
1912
1:0,240
Arbury Banks
Plan of Arbury Banks.
12
Newspaper Cuttings
The Museum has a collection of newspaper cuttings and transcripts referring to
Ashwell. The earliest is an article from the Royston Crow, dated 1876. It records the
proceedings of the Ashwell School Board, meeting to discuss the tenders for building
what is now Ashwell Primary School. At present the collection of cuttings ends in the
year 2000. These transcripts and cuttings are not yet available on-line but can be
studied in the upstairs Resource Centre at the Museum. They are stored in box files
on the shelves to the right of the door as you go into the room.
In addition there is a collection of 39 scrapbooks covering the years 1966 to 2002.
They contain interesting local newspaper cuttings referring to Ashwell and the
surrounding area. They were compiled by Alan Picking, for many years the caretaker
at Ashwell Primary School. These scrapbooks are not available on-line but can be
studied in the upstairs Resource Centre at the Museum. They are stored in box files
on the shelves at the left-hand side as you go into the room.
Ashwell News
Ashwell News is the title of the parish magazine. The Museum holds copies of every
edition since 1967 and the collection is kept continuously up to date. The Ashwell
News is not available on-line but can be studied in the upstairs Resource Centre at
the Museum. Copies are stored in box files on the shelves to the right of the door as
you go in.
Ashwell Yearbook
The Parish Council has published an annual Ashwell Yearbook every March since
1989. The Yearbook contains the details of the annual Parish Meetings, reports from
all local organisations and articles of interest about Ashwell residents, including
baptisms, marriages and deaths within the parish.
The Ashwell Yearbooks are not available on-line but can be studied in the upstairs
Resource Centre at the Museum. Copies are stored in box files on the shelves to the
right of the door as you go in.
13
Ashwell Parish Council Minutes
The Museum holds copies of the Ashwell Parish Council minutes from 1972
onwards. These minutes are not available on-line but can be studied in the
upstairs Resource Centre at the Museum. Copies are stored in box files on the
shelves to the left of the door as you go in.
Registers and Documents from Other Parishes
The Museum has transcripts and/or photocopies of some registers and
documents from other parishes, as follows:
Hertfordshire
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Aldenham - Burials, 1660-72
Cheshunt- Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1663-7
Codicote - Burials, 1659-73
Datchworth – Marriages, 1614-1837
Great Gaddesden - Burials, 1658-72
Harpenden - Burials, 1659-72
Hatfield - Burials, 1659-70
Hertford (All Saints Parish) - Burials, 1663-7
Hertfordshire Friends (=Quakers)- Marriages, 1660-1836
Hunsdon - Burials, 1660-73
Kings Langley - Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1700-1802
Knebworth - Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1659-71
Layston - Burials, 1662-6
Little Berkhamsted - Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1653-71
Northchurch - Burials, 1660-71; Marriages, 1660-4
Reed – Militia lists, 1757-85
Rickmansworth – Marriages, 1699-1802
Royston - Burials, 1663-7
St Albans Abbey - Burials, 1656-71
Stevenage - Burials, 1659-71
Thundridge- Burials, 1662-7
Ware – Marriages, 1698-1803; Burials, 1663-5.
Watton-at-Stone - Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1664-7
Westmill - Burials, 1659-66
Cambridgeshire
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Bassingbourn - Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1558-1851
arranged alphabetically by surname
Croydon-cum-Clopton - Baptisms and Burials, 1599-1845; Marriages, 1599-1837
Guilden Morden - Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1599-1845
Litlington - Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1599-1845
These transcripts and photocopies are not available on-line but can be studied
in the upstairs Resource Centre at the Museum. Copies are stored in box files
on the shelves to the left of the door as you go in.
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Deeds
The Museum has photocopies and transcripts of a large number of wills,
conveyances, mortgages, indentures etc, relating to the parish of Ashwell and
dating between 1621 and 1993. If you are researching the history of your
house you may find what you are looking for here.
These transcripts and photocopies are not yet available on-line but can be
studied in the upstairs Resource Centre at the Museum. Copies are stored in
box files on the shelves to the left of the door as you go in.
Ashwell Documents from Westminster Abbey
The living of Ashwell was held by Westminster Abbey before the Reformation.
The Museum has photocopies of a number of documents (some in Latin, some
in English) from the Abbey relating to the parish of Ashwell, including:

Papal confirmation that Westminster Abbey holds the church at Esswell (sic), 1303 (doc. 12372)

Accounts of Asshwelle Manor by the Abbey's officer(s), 1374 (?), (doc. 26267)

Accounts of Asshwelle Manor by the Abbey's officer(s), 1379 (?), (doc. 26286)

Accounts of Asshewelle Manor by the Abbey's officer(s), 1401 (?), (doc. 26294)

Value of Rents at Asshwell, 15th Cent. (doc. 4749)

Copy book of Courts held at Asshewell, 1499-1500
These photocopies are not available on-line but can be studied in the upstairs
Resource Centre at the Museum. They are stored in box files on the shelves
on the left-hand wall of the Resource Centre as you go in the door.
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Local Historians’ Documents and Notes
H.W. Bowman, flourished late nineteenth and early twentieth century, was
a distinguished local historian and for many years the Parish Clerk. His books,
notes and correspondence are held in the Museum. They are not available online but can be studied in the upstairs Resource Centre at the Museum. They
are stored in box files on the shelves to the left of the door as you go into the
room.
Albert Sheldrick, one of the two co-founders of the Museum, wrote a book
on the history of Ashwell: A Different World, Ashwell before 1939, which was
published c.1990. He also wrote a booklet, Fourpenny Phyllis, about Mrs
Phyllis Fordham of Ashwell Bury, who was the first lady of Ashwell for more
than half a century. Albert’s research notes are all kept in the Museum. They
are not available on-line but can be studied in the upstairs Resource Centre at
the Museum. They are stored in box files on the shelves at the left-hand end
of the room as you go in.
David Short for many years ran the Ashwell Field Studies Centre on the site
of the Ashwell Merchant Taylors’ School in Mill Street. Much of the material of
his research, done at that time and subsequently, is stored at the Museum.
The material includes documents, photocopies and transcripts from the county
archives held in Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies (HALS). There are
also archives concerning the Ashwell Merchant Taylors’ School, which was in
existence from 1681 to 1947.
cont. >
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The David Short collection includes transcripts of:
 Deeds from a variety of dates.
 Election returns, showing how Ashwell voters cast their votes in various
eighteenth and early nineteenth century general elections, before secret
ballots were introduced.
 The 1829 survey of “farm homesteads, private dwelling-houses, shops,
cottages etc.”
 The Tithe Commutation Apportionment of 1841, and a list of field,
furlong and close names from the same time.
 Sketches and notes made after the Great Fire of Ashwell in 1850 and
published within a month of the event.
 Photocopy and transcript of the Ashwell return for the 1851 national
religious census.
 The Ashwell Enclosure Award of 1863.
 Parish electoral rolls from the last quarter of the twentieth century.
The collection also includes many items of Ashwell memorabilia, such as
programmes for the annual Ashwell Show on Elbrook Meadow and various
theatrical productions at the Village Hall.
The David Short collection is not available on-line but can be studied in the
upstairs Resource Centre at the Museum. The documents are stored in box
files on the shelves immediately to the left of the door as you go into the
room.
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Other Resources
Loan Boxes
The Museum has a number of loan boxes which contain artefacts from the
everyday life of the village in times gone by. The boxes are designed to go out
on loan into the community (and further afield if necessary), to stimulate
interest and to encourage a deeper understanding of the past. They fall into
two categories:
Reminiscence Loan Boxes
These are aimed principally at adults. There are nine reminiscence loan
boxes, containing between nine and thirty-one items each, with the
following titles:
Crafts, General Collection, Handbag Collection, Ladies’ Collection, Men’s
Collection, Photos and Postcards, Royalty, Writing Materials and Young
People.
Topic Loan Boxes for Schools
In addition to local artefacts these contain notes for teachers, discussion
cards for children and photographs. They are suitable for use with pupils
between about year 1 and year 6 and are excellent resources not only
for history but also for stimulating good speaking and listening. Only
one topic loan box is currently available:
Growing
Others are planned to follow.
Please contact the Curator, Peter Greener, 01462 742956, if you would like to borrow
any of the loan boxes.
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