Wythall History Society was started by Val Lewis after a preliminary meeting at Wythall Library in June 1993. As a television and newspaper journalist and lecturer, who had done research into the area and its people, she found that a number of like minded people were keen to find out more about this ancient village’s history, and that very little printed information was available.
Since then the research group has diligently copied census returns, thanks to the conscientious work of Barbara Nash (Chairman) and Margaret Matthews (Treasurer) and other committee members – Mike Fisher deals with all family history queries, and has compiled the Wythall Index – a record of everyone born in the village since 1750. Bernice Peach (Vice Chairman) and Gwylan Astbury have been making regular visits to Worcestershire Record Office to copy and Kate Smith is inputting all the information they obtain onto the Society’s computer records.
A photographic survey has been one of the society’s ongoing projects , using the 1838 Tythe Map and List of Owners and Tenants; present day photographs are taken, which are then scanned, pages being set up with details of field numbers, owners and tenants from 1838 to the present day wherever possible. These are also produced as slides for the use of other local societies or groups, who may wish to use them for talks. Files of all this information and pictures will, when complete, be bound and lodged at Wythall Library for community use.
The Society was successful in obtaining a Lottery Grant to purchase the necessary equipment to process all these records, and has since received a further grant to carry out research into the effect which the two World Wars has had on the village. When this research is completed an exhibition will be staged at Wythall Library to publish its findings. In the meantime we are interviewing local people, who remember these two wars, to record their memories, and use them as part of the exhibition. We should be glad to hear from people who lived in Wythall during the time of the wars, especially those who are now living abroad, also people who were evacuated to Wythall.
We are very keen to acquire photographs of old Wythall to add to our now very extensive collection so that they, too, can be included in the exhibition. As there is a great deal to do to complete our research into the two wars we shall be delighted to hear from anyone who can help. We are including more pictures recently obtained, which we hope people visiting our site will find interesting, also some which we would like help in identifying for instance does anyone know the identities of the men in our picture of Wythall Local Defence Volunteers (forerunner of the Home Guard).This is just a fraction of the work of the Society, which also includes meetings at Wythall Baptist Church Hall, attended by members and friends, on the last Friday of each month. See current programme.
Booklets are available on the start of education in Wythall, with separate booklets on each school:
Kingswood, Silver Street Council School, St Mary's Church School and the Baptist School. They each include interesting extracts from the school logbooks.
These booklets are £1.95 including postage and packing (UK)
