Tweet “A fat pig, bred by Mr Godwin of Lechlade and fed by Mr William Munday of the same place, only 31 weeks old, was killed last week, and weighed upwards of 12 score.” Jackson’s Oxford Journal, 21 October 1843
TweetThe Fairford Free School was established in 1738 as a result of bequests by Mary Barker and Elizabeth Farmor – the daughter and granddaughter of Fairford’s Lord of the Manor, Andrew Barker. Mary Barker had left money to be put … Continue reading
TweetA humorous tale from the crime reports of the Oxford Journal, which although it doesn’t involve a Cotswold native, does involve a Cotswold house of correction! This piece shows how our ancestors were often fined for misdemeanours – but if … Continue reading
TweetA sad story from the history of Little Barrington, a village just outside Burford. On 28 May 1831, it was reported that on 22 May, the local schoolmaster, John Munt, had died, aged 69. But then, on 11 June 1831, Jackson’s … Continue reading
Tweet In the spring of 1803, a series of adverts was placed in Jackson’s Oxford Journal by Joseph Tyrrell, the overseer of Drayton in Berkshire. Many poor people cost his parish money, and Joseph was tasked with trying to reduce … Continue reading
TweetIn 1800, there was a series of animal thefts from the Bibury area of Gloucestershire. Animal theft was relatively common in the Cotswolds; in an agricultural area, farm animals were frequently stolen and sold on. But these particular cases were … Continue reading
TweetSometimes, a random read of old newspapers can send you off on research that ends up going in an unexpected direction. That’s what happened when I chanced upon an inquest report in an 1871 edition of Jackson’s Oxford Journal. The … Continue reading
TweetWhen journalist William Cobbett was touring southern England for his Rural Rides in the 1820s, he visited the village of Kempsford in the Cotswolds, and was impressed by the place. Kempsford – near the larger village of Fairford, with its … Continue reading
