News & Events
The Society publishes a volume each year, holds an annual meeting each summer, and produces a newsletter, The Recorder, in early spring.
Latest Volume
76 Returns to the Bishop of Salisbury’s Visitation Enquiry 1864, edited by Helen Taylor, 2023
In connection with his 1864 visitation, Walter Kerr Hamilton, Bishop of Salisbury, sent to each incumbent in his diocese a questionnaire asking under 52 heads about the state of worship, dissent, education, welfare, charitable giving and religious life generally in each parish. This edition comprises a full transcript of the returns to the visitation enquiry by 249 parish clergy in the Wiltshire portion of Salisbury diocese as then constituted (excluding the north Wiltshire deaneries of Cricklade and Malmesbury, which had been transferred to Gloucester and Bristol). The returns offer not only a parish-by-parish survey of aspects of the religious and social life of much of Wiltshire, but also reflect the character, attitudes and prejudices of Victorian clergy. The volume introduction describes episcopal visitation and enquiry, and analyses the returns. There is an index of persons and places.
Events
The society held its annual general meeting on 22 June 2024 in Mere. The meeting was followed by a talk given by Steve Hobbs, on ‘Unremembered Lives; Evidence from Church Court Records for Wiltshire, 1590-1620’, and ended with a walk around Mere led by John Chandler.
The British Record Society’s Hearth Tax Research Project is launching its online publication of the Wiltshire returns of 1662 on 30th October 2024 at the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre, Chippenham, between 12:30 and 2:30pm. The launch event will include some information on the background of the project and a chance to look at the online resource, as well as celebrate with some tea and cake! Although not a WRS publication much of the editing was carried out by a member of the society, the late Lorelei Williams, and Steve Hobbs has been working with the Project’s director, Andrew Wareham, to complete the online publication.
In 2014 the society published Ivor Slocombe’s edition of Wiltshire Quarter Sessions Order book, 1642-54 (volume 67, and now available online ). Ivor has continued his work and has now edited the records covering the years up to and following the restoration, 1654-1668. The edition is available on our resources page as a PDF file, with indexes.
Forthcoming Volumes
Our volume 77, which we hope to publish around the end of 2024 will be the second part of the Salisbury Domesday Books, covering the years 1413-78, edited by John Chandler and Douglas Crowley. This will be followed during 2025 by The Letters of Lady Dorothy Long, 1661-1710, edited by Timothy Couzens, followed soon afterwards by Avebury 1695-1798: the Holford Papers, edited by Stuart Raymond. Other volumes are in preparation.