Our society resources are being made available for the benefit of people from Faringdon and district, and for others who come from all over the country and the world, to research their interests in the district.
Selected photos and texts from the society archives are being gathered together here along with some additional new material, into various themes for presentation on this website.
If you are interested in finding out about the history of your own home then this page provides some useful guidelines: 6 Steps to Finding Out Your Home’s History Online
Meetings of the Society
The Society meets on the third Wednesday in the month in the Old Town Hall, Gloucester Street, Faringdon, Faringdon, SN7 7HL, visitors are very welcome. We sometimes have a visiting speaker to talk about their research into local issues. The meetings start at 7:45 pm, doors open at 7:30 pm, and cost £5.00 for non-members. Membership subscriptions of £25 are due at the October meeting. Our full programme of talks by external speakers is listed here.
Faringdon Library – History Room
Much of the research carried out by the society, together with reference books are available in the History Room, accessible when Faringdon Library is open – click on the link to check open days and times. The room can be made available after registering your interest with the society. Please contact us with details of your research and when you would like to visit.
A comprehensive index of our records is available in the library and here for download and or printing. History Society Index (Oct 2011).pdf
The History Society Index includes the following:
- Archaeological records
- Microfiche reader
- Deeds
- Parish registers
- Family History Aids
- Personal memories
- Local Newspapers
- Maps and Plans
- Photographs
- Field walking records and finds
- Geological specimens
- Reference Books
- Graveyard memorials
- School records
- Local buildings
- Society records
- Local history- Faringdon, Villages
- WW1/WW2 information
Downloadable Resources
We also have an online downloadable collection of all the society’s research and other documents that are available in electronic form. These include registers of baptisms, marriages and burials from around the 1550s to the 1980s for Faringdon and the surrounding villages and more…
- Buildings – researched histories of various buildings.
- Church Registers – baptisms, marriages and burials from around the 1550s to the 1980s for Faringdon and surrounding villages.
- Clubs – researched histories of various clubs in Faringdon.
- Deeds – a few properties in and around Faringdon.
- Directories – Kelly’s Berkshire Directory 1848 -1915, et alia.
- Families – some local family histories traced from various records.
- Faringdon – various general documents on the town’s history.
- People – documents from various sources on notable people.
- Schools – registers of pupils, staff, punishments, etc.
- Shops – some background resources on local shops.
- Wars – Basque refugees, Red-Cross hospital at Kitemore House, etc.
All available documents are listed and downloadable from here – www.fdahs.org.uk/wp-content/documents/. Some are listed below as an example:
Faringdon History Walk. An excellent document compiled by this society in 2005, revised by the Tourist Information Centre, and well worth reading.
Directory & Gazetteer of Oxon, Berks & Bucks (Dutton, Allen & Co.) 1863 – Faringdon section. A history of Faringdon and a list of local traders.
Soldiers, Sailors & Airmen 1914-18. A list of soldiers, sailors & airmen from Faringdon and surrounding villages 1914-18 including national reserve, railway guards and men applying for exemption.
Faringdon Rocks – by Norman Snelling. A guide to the geology around Faringdon and its influence on the character of the town.
Faringdon Workhouse (Faringdon and the Vale Venture 1973) – by Andrew Edgington.
Workhouse Talk – by Rosemary Church. Notes from a talk on the Faringdon Workhouse.
Elms Talk – by Rosemary Church. Notes from a talk on The Elms.
The Grand Old Man of the Sawmill 1897-1961 (Faringdon Advertiser 1961)
Memories of Faringdon (Faringdon & The Vale Venture 1972)
Memories of the Faringdon Railway (Faringdon & The Vale Venture 1972)
The British Legion – Faringdon (Faringdon & The Vale Venture 1972)
Buildings in Faringdon – by Gerald Taylor 2001
Sudbury House, Faringdon – by Peter Gale
The Grand Old Man of the Sawmill 1897-1961 (Faringdon Advertiser 1961)
Corners of Faringdon 1 – Church Farm House School – by Felicity Cormack 2021
Notable People of Buscot Park – The Second Lord Faringdon – by Felicity Cormack 2021
Notable People of Buscot Park – Arturo Barea – by Felicity Cormack 2021
Faringdon Parish Church Restoration (Faringdon Advertiser 9th July 1927)
Faringdon Church Bells (Faringdon Advertiser 2nd Jan 1909)
Faringdon Coronation Programme 1953
Wyke Grange Dig (Faringdon Folly Sep 1992)
Bill and Nancy Reeves (Faringdon Folly Mar 1992)
The Great Flood (Faringdon Folly June 1993)
Graveyard Memorials
All the information on and around gravestones in All Saints Churchyard and the Free Church Cemetery (Canada Lane) has been collected by FDAHS members. This was then recorded on searchable Excel spreadsheets, which are obtainable from the following links to the Faringdon Community Website:
www.faringdon.org/all-saints-churchyard.html
www.faringdon.org/faringdon-free-church-cemetery.html
Photographic Collections
Collections of local photographs and other paper items from the 19th & 20th Centuries have been donated by many individuals. Each photograph is labelled with information including named individuals and date where known. They are stored in the ring-folder albums listed below. These albums are not currently stored in the library but are awaiting a suitable place and some method for protection and hopefully accessible storage:
Archive Photos A-C: Index A-C
Archive Photos D-H: Index D-H
Archive Photos I-L: Index I-L
Archive Photos M-O: Index M-O
Archive Photos P-R: Index P-R
Archive Photos S-T: Index S-T
Archive Photos V-Y: Index-V-Y
Brian Brady Collection 1987-96, two folders: Index BB1 / Index BB2
Colin Franklin Collection 1994-96: Index CF
Faringdon Folly Newspaper Photographs 1989-98: Index-FF
Fire Service History 1904-2014 – A collection by Bill Law.
Raymond Hutt Collection (copy) 1953 – A photographic tour around Faringdon and beyond: View here
A History of Faringdon Women’s Institute 1925-2002.
A History of Faringdon Women’s Institute 2002-2015.
Two photograph albums about Faringdon Guides and Brownies.
Pack Holiday albums of the 1st Faringdon Brownies.
The Changing Faces of Faringdon and Surrounding Villages
Four members of Faringdon Historical Society have published 3 volumes of a book called The Changing Faces of Faringdon and surrounding villages. Authors: Rosemary Church, Jim Brown, Millie Bryan and Beryl Newman. Robert Boyd Publications. Book 1 is now out of print but much of it now appears on this website. Books 2 and 3 may be available from the Tourist Information Centre, The Pump House, 5 Market Pl, Faringdon SN7 7HL but it is advisable to ring first to make sure they have a copy, telephone 01367 240281. Alternatively, you can purchase them direct from the society – see below.
These books are full of photographs with a fair amount of related text. They show some of the history of Faringdon and surrounding villages over the past century. There are many photos of people, many of which are named. The date of these photos are from the 1890’s to the 1990’s.
All three book are now out of print but used and new copies are still available. See below.
Book 1 (1999) – covers many topics of interest around Faringdon and the villages Great & Little Coxwell, Buscot, Coleshill, Fernham, Shellingford, Uffington, Eaton Hastings – the number of photos for each varies between three or four to more than a dozen.
Contents:
Introduction
Map of the area
Section 1 Faringdon Streets
Section 2 Business
Section 3 Faringdon Church, House and Folly
Section 4 Events
Section 5 The Market
Section 6 Personalities
Section 7 Public Houses
Section 8 Schools
Section 9 Societies and Sports
Section 10 Transport
Section 11 Views
Section 12 Buscot
Section 13 Coleshill
Section 14 Great Coxwell
Section 15 Little Coxwell
Section 16 Eaton Hastings
Section 17 Fernham
Section 18 Shellingford
Section 19 Uffington
Book 1 is out of print and out of stock but a scanned copy will be made available free online as a pdf when you buy the other two books direct from the society bookshop – see below.
Book 2 (2001) – includes different villages from the first book – Longcot, Shrivenham, Bourton, Watchfield, Pusey, Stanford in the Vale, Littleworth, Buckland, Charney Bassett, Goosey.
Contents:
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Plan of Faringdon Streets and Buildings c.1870/ 1880’s
Map of the area
Section 1 A Bird’s Eye View
Section 2 The Best Days of our Lives
Section 3 Supplying the Goods
Section 4 Fighting Times
Section 5 Enforcing the Law
Section 6 Shrivenham
Section 7 Watchfield
Section 8 Bourton
Section 9 Stanford in the Vale
Section 10 Littleworth
Section 11 Charney Bassett
Section 12 Longcot
Section 13 Pusey
Section 14 Goosey
Used copies of Book 2 may be available from Amazon and other online sources. Alternatively and while stocks last, you can purchase a new book direct from the society bookshop – see below.
Book 3 (2003) – includes odd corners of Faringdon, street names, goings on, reflections of, worshipping, getting around and working in Faringdon. The villages Barcote and Thrup. Pucketty Farm and more on Buckland and Charney Bassett.
Contents:
Map of the area
Plan of Faringdon Streets c.1880/1890’s
Acknowledgements
Introduction – Faringdon Street Names
Section 1 Odd Corners
Section 2 Worshipping in Faringdon
Section 3 Goings On
Section 4 Getting Around
Section 5 All in a Day’s Work
Section 6 Best Days of Our Lives
Section 7 Recollections of Faringdon
Section 8 Buckland and Barcote
Section 9 Pucketty
Section 10 Thrupp
Section 11 Charney Bassett
Used copies of Book 3 may be available from Amazon and other online sources. Alternatively and while stocks last, you can purchase a new book direct from the society bookshop – see below.
Book Shop
The Changing Faces of Faringdon and Surrounding Villages
Then click on "Continue shopping>" in top-right corner if you want to come back for more.
Prices include postage in the UK. For elsewhere, local pickup, or more specific requirements please contact us before placing your order. Book 1 is out of print and out of stock but a scanned copy will be made available free online as a pdf when you buy both Books 2 & 3.
Copyright
The watermarked photographs on this website are scanned from the original photographs given to the society, often including the negatives, and stored in the society’s archives. Amongst them are large collections donated by Brian Brady, Jim Brown, Colin Franklin, and Raymond Hutt. Others have been donated by current local photographers, such as William Law and Al Cane, or copied from those made freely available via local social media groups.
Some of the text has been copied and freely adapted following further research, from: The Changing Faces of Faringdon and Surrounding Villages – Book 1 (now out of print) and some extracts from Books 2 & 3. Written and compiled by members of the society: Rosemary Church, Jim Brown, Millie Bryan and Beryl Newman. Robert Boyd Publications. Articles and adverts have also been freely copied from old local newspapers from back as far as 1887, now out of print and copyright unknown.
You are welcome to download and look at all the information presented on this website but please do not copy, reproduce, republish, post, broadcast, transmit, adapt, alter, create a derivative work or otherwise use any content from this website in any way without first contacting the society.