The following work has been undertaken since 17 March 2024
Occasional Series
In 2018 we started experimenting with making transcriptions available on our website that we did not intend to publish in our formal volumes. Over time this evolved into electronic Occasional Publications published on the Bristol Record Society Collection of the Internet Archive. Earlier this year the BRS Council decided to formally turn these into a numbered series, with each item given an ISBN. This is to be applied retrospectively.
In July we published three new numbers, all based heavily on the work of Prof Jonathan Barry.
Jonathan Barry (ed.), Bristol Oaths of 1723 (BRS, Occasional Series no. 10, 2024), 20 pp. intro. + 75 pp. transcription
EXCEL version of transcription available from our website.
‘Stories’ on the BRS website
Our first story Locating Bewell’s Cross was well received and attracted local press coverage.
On 12 April, Prof Steve Poole wrote another story, focusing on the forensic remains of one of eighteenth-century Bristol’s most notorious murders. This also attracted media coverage.
Items added to the BRS Collection: primary sources & guides
Bickley, Francis B. (ed.), The Little Red Book of Bristol (Bristol, 1900) Vol. 1
Bickley, Francis B. (ed.), The Little Red Book of Bristol (Bristol, 1900) Vol. 2
The Little Red Book volumes were already available online but they were poor quality copies. Since this is an important work, we decided to produce our own high-resolution scans.
Bristol Chamber of Commerce, Bristol Chamber of Commerce Reports, 1823-1833 (Bristol, 1823-33)
A series of reports that provide insight into the concerns of the city’s business community in the lead up to the Bristol Riots of 1831, as well as its subsequent reactions.
Bristol Corporation, Official Guide to the City of Bristol (Arrowsmith, 1925)
A Bristol guidebook that provides insights into how the city saw itself and wished to portray its history and facilities to visitors.
A catalogue of ecclesiastical silverware.
A guide to Bristol that shows what was deemed attractive and interesting about the city at the start of the nineteenth century.
Dallaway, James, William Wyrcestre Redivivus (Bristol, 1823)
A tract concerning Bristol’s medieval buildings, presenting a case for how they should be restored.
Three pieces, including the first published version of William Worceter’s itinerary, presented in the original Latin.
A humorous guide to Bristol’s Anglican church services and their congregations, which was originally published as a series of popular articles in the Bristol Times.
Major, S. D., New Illustrated Handbook to Bristol, Clifton and Neighbourhood (Bristol, 1872)
A pocket encyclopaedia to Bristol: this is surprisingly informative, with much information not found elsewhere.
A ‘Who’s Who’ to Bristol in 1898, this is a very useful source of biographical information on Bristol’s late Victorian notables.
A catalogue of the SMV’s archive, most of which has now been transferred to Bristol Archives.
Robinson, W. J., West Country Manors (Bristol, St Stephen’s Press, 1930)
Fifty short articles on manor houses near Bristol, originally appearing in serial form in the Bristol Times and Mirror. This was very popular at the time, used as a guide for day-trippers.
The Bristol Sportsman, Vol. 2, 1922 (Bristol, 1922)
A bound set of a monthly periodical covering the year 1922. Now rare, it was reproduced for the light it throws on the city’s sporting culture during the 1920s.
Themaninthemoon, Felix Farley, Rhymes, Latin and English (J. M. Gutch, Bristol, 1826)
A collection of satirical rhymes originally published in Felix Farley’s Journal, many lambasting the City corporation.
Thomas, H. Arnold, Memorials of the Rev. David Thomas, B.A., of Bristol (London, 1876)
A memoir of the minister of Highbury Congregational Chapel (now Cotham Church), with a collection of some of the sermons and other writings of this leading Congregationalist figure.
Items added to the BRS Collection: secondary works
A company history of this tar and chemical manufacturer.
Evans, Herbert A., Cambridge County Geographies: Gloucestershire (Cambridge University Press, 1909)
A classic textbook, still sold today by CUP.
Chapter in an edited volume that is not widely available, reproduced with Prof Fleming’s permission.
Another publication by Professor Peter Fleming (UWE), published originally in edited volume, now out-of-print and not easily available.
A classic parish history, still widely cited.
Knight, Francis A., Cambridge County Geographies: Somerset (Cambridge University Press, 1909)
A classic text, still sold today as a reprint by CUP.
A history of a philanthropic society associated with St Stephen’s Church, Bristol.
A company history of Bristol’s largest brewery.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia
We continue to add images to Wikimedia as high-resolution jpgs that relate to Bristol’s history . These are then available on creative commons to any users.
Evan Jones created some new Wikipedia pages on topics likely to attract significant interest (e.g. Newgate) as well as developing existing Wikipedia articles relevant to Bristol’s history or our publications. These include one on Bristol’s pioneering woman doctor, Eliza Walker Dunbar.
Usage of BRS digital resources
From March-July the Bristol Record Society Collection on the Internet Archive continued to receive around 1,400 views per month.
The BRS website, received 859 visits in the last 30 days from 326 individual visitors. About a third of the visitors continue to come from outside the UK – especially the USA.
Bristol Record Society 