Introduction to 'The Archive'

The Broadhempston Archive and Local History Group was set up in 2005 by the Broadhempston Society with launch funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, its purpose being to gather together the villages memories in both verbal and photographic form and commit them to computer for storage and ease of retrieval. This creation of an archive obviously needs to be a continuous process but we have made a good start and the following shows how the village and the public in general can access what has been achieved so far. We have digitised most of the Parish Records of Baptisms, Marriages and Burials for research purposes and these can now be found here on this website. A large selection of the photographs in the archive can be viewed on the web by logging on to Picasa; details to follow. For those without computer access we will continue to display photos at our frequent Village Hall mini-exhibitions.

All villages had a tithe map created in about 1841; we have had ours copied and a 6ft x 4ft map is now permanently displayed in the Church. More manageably-sized extracts are available. Our ongoing Oral History programme records the memories of residents and also reminds us how much village life changes with the years.

A Heritage Trail Map has been created and is available from the Village Shop, as are our other publications: 'Looking Back' by Moira Mellor and a reprint of 'Broadhempston' by Rev Evans.
We have made great strides in creating a "Village Family Tree" and large sections of this are regularly displayed at village functions. We also assist those seeking ancestors who may have played a part in or around the village. Use the contact page to pose any genealogical questions you may have.

The school has been a vital part of the village from 1876 and we are in the process of computerising its records; some of which will no doubt be made available in later versions of this website. The Archive has a large, secure, fire-proof and bug-free storage cabinet in which we keep our records safe. Space is available for others to use.