Professor Peter Fleming’s book
This book represents the completed draft of a monograph that Peter Fleming (Professor of Medieval History, University of the West of England) was working on until 2013. Ill health forced Professor Fleming to stop work on this. In 2023 the Bristol Record Society offered to publish the book as an electronic publication. The aim was to increase the profile of this important work, make it more accessible and guarantee the book’s long-term availability. Following on from our epublication, we are delighted to report that The Richard III and Yorkist History Trust have offered to undertake the formal print publication of the book. This will include copyediting, indexing, typesetting and printing to professional standard as part of their respected series. With Prof. Fleming’s agreement, this project is now in progress.
BRS Occasional Publication
An original epublication of records relating to this Georgian physician, edited by Dr Michael Whitfield (M.D.) and Professor Jonathan Barry (General Editor, BRS).
Books epublished since December 2022
A very rare and privately printed calendar of medieval records from a print run of just twenty-five copies.
Bristol City Council, Bristol: The Western Gateway to the Old Country (J. W. Arrowsmith Ltd., Bristol, 1911), 64 pp.
A promotional pamphlet / guidebook issued ‘from the Lord Mayor and citizens of Bristol’ aimed at Canadians and other north Americans who might wish to visit Bristol and its region. While the booklet includes a potted history of Bristol, its chief interest to the BRS lies in what it tells us about how the city sought to promote and represent itself during the Edwardian period. Bristol City Council, Council House Bristol (Bristol City Council, 1956)
A booklet produced by the council to commemorate the opening of the new Council House by Queen Elizabeth II on 17 April 1956. Reproduced by permission of Bristol City Council.
While this is not about Bristol per se, it concerns a port that was very closely connected to Bristol until the nineteenth century. The book was cheap to digitise, using a donated copy of this rare book.
C. F. W. Dening, The Eighteenth-Century Architecture of Bristol (J. W. Arrowsmith Ltd, Bristol, 1923), xxiv + 191pp.
A book about Bristol’s Georgian architecture written by the Bristol architect and artist, Charles Frederick William Dening (1876-1952).
C. F. W. Dening, Old Inns of Bristol (John Wright & Sons, Ltd., Bristol, 1943)
A study of Bristol’s inns, written and illustrated by Charles Denning. Many of these public houses no longer exist, or have since been modified substantially.
A book written by Professor Madge Dresser about the landmark Bristol Bus Boycott. Reproduced with her permission, this book is much used by students.
A commissioned history of the co-operative movement in Bristol from c.1860-1910, undertaken at the behest of the History Committee of the Co-operative Society.
A book about the world’s oldest Baptist college, written by its librarian. Epublished by permission of his children and with the support of the College.
Published by Fry’s but with the close involvement of the city, this includes the earliest published history of the Bristol Blitz and also represents one of the first popular social / economic histories of the city.
Elizabeth Ralph, Government of Bristol, 1373-1973 (Bristol City Council, 1973)
A Bristol City Council booklet about the municipal history of the city and county of Bristol, written to commemorate the 600th anniversary of Bristol becoming a county by royal charter in 1373. It seemed particularly appropriate to epublish the booklet this year, on the 650th anniversary.
Transcription and translation of a key record relating to the transfer of this former monastic property following the Dissolution, published by Rev Wilkins, who was a pioneer of record publication in Bristol.
Future Plans
The more works we digitise an epublish, the clearer it becomes how many printed there are that relate to the history of Bristol and/or which provide valuable source material for its study. Donations in cash or kind (including donations of works for digitisation) are always welcome. If you wish to donate directly to the Society, please contact our Treasurer, Dr Richard Stone, for details. If you have personal interests when it comes to digitisation (e.g. particular institutions, groups, subjects or source types), please contact Dr Evan Jones. He will be happy to discuss possibilities, as he has done with previous sponsors.
Bristol Record Society 