The Research Team

All our members can join if they wish. Often people come along to meetings they have a particular interest in.

We meet quarterly: our re-start meeting for 2021 is on:

Wednesday 29th September

The evening meeting is from 7.00 p.m. until we have eaten the cake!!

Phone Raye on 01934 516773 for more details.

Bob Champ & Raye Green

Overseer and Facilitator

Bob comes to all our meetings and keeps a sharp eye on progress. School liason.

Raye: Archive keeper and updater. Researches and publishes local history books focusing on Worle.

Peter Johnson and Barrie Underwood

Avid researchers

Peter looks after Tithe Map, Vernacular buildings, churchyard, Somerset Heritage Centre, Weston Museum and WANHS

Barrie cares for the rhynes and waterways and does detailed family history research.

Dave Hart

Walks and Talks

Researches and leads walks for local schools and societies and writes support pamphlets. Manor House farm specialist.

Responsible for the 'Brief History of Worle' article

Jenny Kingsbury

Worle Library Archives

Takes an active interest in all strands of research with special attention to newspaper reports from Weston and the west of England.

Julie Jones

Admin and sorter of information

Julie has produced a new data base of our churchyard findings since she joined the research group last year.

Also doing the interior memorials project.

Tony Richards & John McCreadie

The Calendar Boys

They researched the pictures and design for the calendar from 2015 to 2017.

Nadine Kilvington and the Durston family

All from 'Old Worle' families

Invaluable local knowledge and all worked assiduously on the Churchyard research in 2013.

Derek Venn

Weston orientated

Weston in World War 2 and family history.

1840 Census and anything interesting that crops up.

Manchester Square Research

One of the oldest part of the village of Worle.

At the junction of Church Road with The Scores [Scaurs], Lawrence Road and Kewstoke Road. The cottages in the picture were originally called Mendip View and Mendip Cottage. Only St Martin's Church, the Monastic Barn and possibly Magnolia Cottage can claim to be older.

Worle Village/Century Club Minutes 1904 onwards.

Charmaine Johnson, who joined us this year, has already transcibed these precious minutes into searchable form. She is working on 1920s now. A valuable asset.

Our On-going Projects

We try to report our findings at one of our monthly meetings. All members are welcome to join.

Interior Memorials at St. Martin's Church

The research team have completed investigations into the 43 memorials inside our 12th century church and have reported findings at 2 meetings held in the Church. File held in our archives.

Tithe Map and Vernacular Buildings

Headed by Peter Johnson, we are trying to visit the 60 or so properties still standing that appear on the 1838 tithe map of Worle. We would LOVE more volunteers for this great project.

Primary source material

Our precious books of minutes and records of Worle clubs and societies are covered in brown paper for protection, and are in the process of being transcribed for posterity. Cricket, Football, Horticultural, Century Club, Brownies, Vestry minutes.

Castle Batch and Lammas Pond

There is renewed interest in this ancient area of Worle, and new project is looking likely. At present we are concentrating on the exact location of Lammas Pond. An outdoor bit of research if you fancy it.

Lyndenhurst Girls'School, Coronation Road

Elsie M. Criddle, born 1907

Please help out by finding out anything you can about the school and this pupil. Elsie was 7 when she was awarded this certificate for drawing. We have checked the census for 1911 and the churchyard records, but nothing definite has emerged. Do double check to be sure.

Thanks to Alan and Trish Flower who found this in its original frame at Puxton Boot Sale.

More

Research for all tastes and ages

See what attracts you, and get inspired

On the ground research.

Get to know the village of Worle inside out by getting involved in one of our outdoor projects. All age groups enjoy this. Then and Now photographs are a wonderful place to start. This picture was taken in 2013 when we began the Churchyard research.

Primary Sources

If you are looking for something warm and cosy to get your teeth into, come to our archive open days and start some research into our collection of minutes books from local clubs, registers and note books.

Analyse a picture

Take one picture, like the ARP wardens on the left. Find out as much as you can about it. Name the people. Find out what happened to them. Write a page about each one. It is so satisfying and really worth while.