Local Community History Month

Wiltshire libraries are celebrating Local and Community History Month with events and exhibitions across the county from Wednesday 4 May through to Friday 27 May.

The aim of the month is to increase awareness of local history, promote history in general to the local community and to engage with the local community to help them discover how to find out more about and enjoy the county.

Events are running from Wednesday 4 May through to Friday 27 May and a full list of events  and booking information can be found on the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre website.

The county of Wiltshire has played an important part in our nation's history since medieval times, as demonstrated by events and items still on display in Salisbury. The newly completed Domesday Book was first presented at Old Sarum in 1086 and Salisbury Cathedral contains the best preserved copy of Magna Carta. Produced in 1215, it is considered to be one of the most important legal documents in the world. The Cathedral also contains one of the world's oldest working clocks (there are claims it is the oldest), which is said to date back to 1386 and keeps time to an accuracy of 2 minutes a day.

It's hoped understanding our history and how it has shaped our lives today can help us to become stronger and more cohesive communities today. 

Many libraries in Wiltshire and the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre in Chippenham have resources available to help you research your family history, including free access to various online services such as the British Newspaper Archive and Ancestry.

Further information is available from https://wshc.org.uk/blog/item/local-history-month-may-2022.html