This page will be for bringing you announcements,updates,news from around the United Kingdom and not restricted to my family. So come back regularly to see what's hot of the press!

CONFERENCE & HISTORY FAIRS

The Midlands Family History Fair will be held on August 15th, 2009 from 10am-4pm. At Worcester Racecourse, Pitchcroft, Worcester. Admission two pounds.

The National Family History Fair will be held on September 12th, 2009 from 10am-4.30pm at Gateshead International Stadium. Admission Four Pounds. Accompanied children under 15 free. Bus, Metro & Rail Links.

Lossiemouth Family History Fair will be held on August 28th, 2009 from 10am-8pm and on August 29th, 2009 from 10am-4pm at Lossiemouth Town Hall, High Street, Lossiemouth, Morayshire, Scotland. Admission is Free.

Buckinghamshire Family History Society will be having a open day on July 25th, 2009 from 10am-4pm at Grange School, Wendover Way, Aylesbury. Admission is Free.

NEW & REVISED RECORD OFFICES

The Devon Record Office (archives of Devon) has now moved to Great Moor House, Sowton, Exeter. Check the Devon Record Office link above before making any plans to visit.(October 2006)

Opened in March 1997 a new London Records Centre will be located in Islington not far away from the Society of Genealogists and the Greater London Record Office. The centre will have Births, marriages,deaths from St. Catherine's House, IGI, nonconformist chapel registers, death duty registers to 1858, nineteenth century censuses. Phone the PRO office to find out more information at (0181) 876 3444 ext. 2882.

The new Oxfordshire Record Office opens it's doors November 14th, 2000 with the help from Heritage Lottery Funds and donations. The building for the new record office is situated in a converted church.

Oxfordshire Record Office is St Luke's Church Temple Rd Cowley Oxford OX4 2EX

Tel: 01865 398200

January 2000

The Surrey Record Office including the Kingston and Guildford branches and Surrey Local Studies Library have moved into newly built premises which is now called theSurrey History Service.

Surrey History Service 130 Goldsworth Road Woking Surrey GU21 1ND

Tel: 01483 594594 Fax: 01483 594595

The Public Record Office at Kew, Surrey now replaces Chancery Lane, London as the repository for the state archives of England. In March the library containing over 150,000 volumes was made available for the first time to the public. This is a beautiful area located near the world famous Kew Gardens and not far from other tourist places like Hampton Court. I used to live in Surrey and can recommend this area which is full of history.

Filming of several million soldier documents of the First World War will be copied within the next five years. (98)

For enquires about Kew Record Office phone:(0181) 392 5200. Also you can reach the PRO via their web page above.

DEVON NEWS

A packet ship "Hanover" which sailed from Lisbon, Portugal to Falmouth, Devon with 15 million in Gold aboard in 1763. It ran aground in a fierce storm just off St. Agnes Cornwall and 60 lives were lost. The salvage crew will start to recover the ship and it's contents. They have already found the Captain's Ring containing an inscription to his wife on it.(July 97)

Sept/Nov 97

The salvagers will resume work on the "Hanover" next year after finding the biggest collection of 59 canons on a single wreck to be worth in excess of one million pounds. Pewter plates and personal artifacts were other items recovered so far from this wreck. The salvagers are still confident about finding the gold bullion in the stern section which still remains buried under the silt. However in 1765 there was a report that the bullion had been recovered but this is unsubstantiated.

October 98

Hydrosalve the salvage company had a shareholder meeting to fund more diving and recovery on the "Hanover" for 1999. Due to lack of private funds this year the salvage company did not resume work.

Congratulations to The New High Sheriff of Devon, Noel Page-Turner, who was sworn in (March 97). I'm glad to mention another Turner on my news page.

DEVON HERITAGE NEWS

In Newton Abbott there are plans to transform a former storage building towards the creation of a museum to the clay industry. (Herald Express 8/19/99)

In Tavistock's Bedford Square the remains of a 1,000 year old church has been unearthed. (Evening Herald 6/16/99)

The 150th anniversary of the Torre Railway Station, located between Torquay and Newton Abbot is this December 1998. Three years ago the station building became an antique center, and now plans are afoot to restore the station for its anniversary. An 1865 photograph published in Memory Lane of the Torbay Weekender on October 15th shows Torre Station, train and staff. They are trying to identify people in the 1865 photo.

The 25 years of restorative work to Okehampton Castle walls has been completed. (97)

Conservationists are inviting people to 'adopt a wagon' to preserve a rare collection of fourteen westcountry built farm wagons and carts. (5/30/97)

Plans are possible to make part of the Okehampton Station into a Sherlock Holmes Museum. (97)

More than 150 members of the Pomeroy Family from all over the world gathered at Berry Pomeroy Castle this weekend. (Times 6/30/97)

The remains of three medieval monks dug up in Tavistock's Bedford Square are to receive a Christian re-burial. (Evening Herald 6/25/97)

Three ancient skeletons have been found in medieval graves in the centre of Tavistock as a result of work by SW Water.

A museum of prison life is to be opened at Dartmoor Prison. (Evening Herald 3/3/97)

Workmen have discovered details of Totnes 'Old West Gate'. (3/3/97)

Plans for a new museum and heritage centre for Axminister have been discussed. (3/5/97)

SPECIAL THANKS

To Family History Monthly Magazine #24 the September 1997 issue & David Tippey for mentioning my web page.

QUESTIONS

Vivienne Shay asked for information on Braunton and church, Devon.(April/2003)

ANSWER: Extracted from a book in my collection titled "Devonshire" in 1965 by Darton, Longman & Todd London, on page 20. 'St. Brannock's town', the saint being an Irish monk who came here in the 5c or 6c and founded a chapel; he is buried in Braunton church, though precisely where is uncertain-but a patron saint would be likely to rest in the chancel or under the altar. There was a church in this place at least as far back as 857. Now Braunton is a small town or large village, a little over 4m. NW of Barnstaple, on the Ilfracombe road.
The church is unusual, first in having an off-centre tower with a broach spire in position and then having no aisles. Parts of the church are Norman, the rest 13c and after; the font is Norman, but with later decoration. The carved bench- ends are 16c. The screen is unusual in design. The roof bosses over the font. One shows a sow and her litter, and this commemorates a tradition that the saint, by a vision, was directed to build his church where he found a sow and her young.

I can tell you today there are two churchs one St. Brannock (CE) and the other St. Brannoc (RC).

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