The Bettws History Group

Bettws History Group and Land, Life and Livelihoods

 Landscape and Local History, Bettws y Crwyn

Are you interested in the history of your house or your farm? Do you have any old photographs, maps or documents that tell an interesting story? Would you like to find out more?  Is there someone in your family or your community who has fascinating memories of life in the Upper Clun Valley that you would really like to record?

If so, the Bettws History Group is hoping you can help us with our House and Farm Histories project and our Oral History Project

House and Farm Histories

• You could simply record recent history – the changes you have made to your house or your farm buildings, how it was when the previous owners lived there, family photographs at home, in the garden or on the farm.

• You could gather together any old deeds, maps, photographs bills of sale, farm plans, plans of new developments etc, you have  for your house or farm.

• You might want to research when the house was built, how it was constructed, who the previous owners were?

Oral History Project

We would like to capture the memories, and the Shropshire dialect, of some of the people who have lived in the Upper Clun for a long time. They have seen many changes in the valley and have valuable and fascinating memories of how life used to be, what the community used to be like, how farming has changed.

• If you want to suggest someone you think should be interviewed or would like to be an interviewer, please let us know.

A valuable and interesting historic record

The house histories and the oral history recordings would produce a valuable and interesting historic record for your family to keep and you could have a copy of the house history to stay with the property, to be passed on to future owners.

Parish Archive and Exhibition

They could (with your permission) go into a parish archive and exhibition that would be a resource for the school and the community, providing a fascinating history, and always a focus for conversations and reminiscence.

They would also provide an insight into how our community and our farming and landscape has and is changing, and may perhaps be a starting point for conversations about the future for our community and our lovely valley.

How to Get Involved

So if you are interested in getting involved in researching your own house or farm history, or simply want to tell us about any interesting documents or photographs you have, or if you would like help in any way  please let us know. ……. 

Help and Advice available:

 Bettws History Group

The Bettws History Group will provide you with some guidelines to get started. We are planning to meet monthly, so you could come along to a meeting for advice or to help.

Bishops Castle Heritage Resource Centre

Chapel Yard, Bishops Castle, SY9 5DE

www.bchrc.co.uk , 01588 630556, 

The Bishops Castle Heritage Resource Centre holds copies of useful documents and is available to help us with research and they will advise us on how to get started on the oral history project.

Shropshire Archives

Castle Gates, Shrewsbury SY1 2AQ

www.shropshirearchives.org.uk, 01743 255350

The staff at Shropshire Archives in Shrewsbury will help you access any documents they hold.

Click here for more information

Contacts

 Sheila Davies, 01686 670627, Alan Wilson 01686 670202,

Gillian Binks 01588 640216

A list of all members will appear here soon