Box People and Places
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      • Issue 37 - Mill Lane Halt
      • Issue 36 - Box Rec
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      • Issue 33 - KIngsdown Post Office
      • Issue 32 - Chapel Lane
      • Issue 31 - Saxon Box
      • Issue 30 - Georgian Rudloe
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      • Issue 27 - Northey
      • Issue 26 - Heritage Trail
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      • Issue 23 - Georgian
      • Issue 22 - War Memorial
      • Issue 21 - Childhood 1949-59
      • Issue 20 - Box Home Guard
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      • Issue 18 - Building Bargates
      • Issue 17 - Railway Changes
      • Issue 16 - Quarries
      • Issue 15 - Rail & Quarry
      • Issue 14 - Civil War
      • Issue 13: Box Revels
      • Issue 12 - Where You Live
      • Issue 11 - Tudor & Stuart
      • Issue 10 - End of Era 1912
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      • Issue 3 - Great War 1914-18
      • Issue 2 - 1950s & 1960s
      • Issue 1 - 1920s
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           Issue 12:    Where You Live  -  in 1626     April 2016

What existed in your area four hundred years ago? Was there a house where you live, was your road in existence or what was happening if your property was just a field? Francis Allen's map of 1626 has amazing detail making it more like a picture of the area than a map. This is the first time that this 1626 map has ever been published; see Where You Live - in 1626.
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It is amazing that so much of Box existed at that time and how field names have been incorporated into our house and road names. Also look out for changes in roads where the modern route has been amended to provide for the needs of later eras.
You can see some of these changes in the extract below but you need to read our articles to find out what the red dots mean and why there are white circles.
People Index
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Rawlings and Hobbs - This tragic story tells of the union of two Box families. It is also enlightening about a family's commitment to honour their predecessors, including Edwin Charles Rawlings, seen right.
Bob a Job - Going back to the time when a bob was more than just 5d. Photos never before published of Box Scouts on summer camp in the 1950s and 1960s.
Didn't we look young, then?
Dorothy Mary Isaac - Dorothy Isaac (nee Goulstone) recalled in her own words from the 1990s. She passed away aged 104 in 2001.
Middlehill House and Its Remarkable Residents - The story of the house, its many reconstructions over the centuries, and the amazing people who lived there, including the redoubtable Miss Kathleen Harper, mayor of Bath.
Church and Crown Clubs - Mother's Union, Needlework Guild and some amazing recollections of Box Church and choir back to 1862.

Places Index
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ByBrook House - We were set a challenge with the diaries of Martha Shaw in the 1850s to find where she lived and the paintings her children made. Now the problem has been solved thanks to the detective work of Martin Devon.
Shockerwick House - Finding the western boundary of our village and the story of the Shockerwick House next door to Box parish.
Hill House Farm  - One of the oldest domestic properties in the village with a history to amaze you.
Shepherd's Close - Tracing the architectural history of a Ditteridge house over four centuries.
Life at Hill Cote and Ivy Cottage - Life on Box Hill seen through the photos and words of the Hodgson, Smallman and Woodgate familes and a plea to remember the Rising Sun site.

Left: Where and what is the photo left and why is it so important in Box's history?
Tudor and Stuart Box
Part 2 of the story of life in Box in Tudor and Stuart times, continuing some of the most exciting times in the village:
Reformation in Box - How and what happened in Box when England turned to the Protestant faith in Tudor times? Includes photos of remains of the Reformation still to be seen in Box Church.
Hugh Speke, Lord of Box Manor - New discoveries about how Speke made his money by enclosing land in Box.
Box Vicar Ignorant and Scandalous - Was it true in 1646? David Ibberson traces the vested interests of the judges.
And don't miss all nine articles of our review of Box village in 1626 at Where You Live in 1626. It will give a new insight into the early history of Box.

Right: Thomas Cromwell by Hans Holbein

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Box NATS History Trails
In conjunction with Box NATS we are running a series of walks in the village to discover more about Box's history. The trails are entirely free, suitable for newcomers and for those who want to discover some of the village's hidden stories:
Inside Box Mad House 5 June Sunday pm
Thomas the Tank Engine (suitable for accompanied children) 3 July Sunday pm
Medieval Market Place 7 August Sunday pm

Please book in advance as places will be limited and we will let you have a brochure and details.
Stop Press: New Boundary Review Proposal
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Wiltshire Council have asked for responses on a new boundary proposal put forward by Corsham Town Council involving the transfer of a large swathe of land and houses currently in Box Parish to the Corsham Town Council.

Box Parish Council are strongly opposed to the proposal. You can see more details at Boundary Review 2016. You can make your  response by following the links at: http://www.boxparish.org.uk/
You are asked to respond on-line by the 20th May.

The proposal involves the land which Paul Turner has captured in his amazingly beautiful photos at Rudloescene, pictured left.
With Your Help
Thanks to everyone who has written with news of their family or memories of Box people and areas in the village.
As a Community site, we rely on your contributions, so please keep your messages coming. Here are recent updates:
Webbs of Painswick - More about this fascinating family
Outings Excitement - Don't miss - sorry 150 years too late !
Pictures - Hardy, Fudge, Oatley and more at Post Office
Ask Not for Whom the Bell Tolled - It was for John Thrift

Previous Series Index
You can find all the articles from the annual Special Series of in-depth articles. And you can still add to them or correct them:
Great War, 1914 - The effect of World War 1 on Box
Late Victorian, 1870 - 1920s - How modern Box was shaped

About Us
We are a not-for-profit website for people who are interested in the history of Box village, in the county of Wiltshire, and its surrounding hamlets. The site publishes articles about the people who lived here and how the village developed.
It is also a Community website where you can record your story and that of your ancestors.
If you have a photo or can help in any of our stories, please contact us via the Contact tab or email us at [email protected].

Can't Find Something?
All previous issues are still available to access using the Previous Issues tab. You can track the people who have contributed from the Index by Author tab.Or go into People Index, Places Index or Series Index for a list of articles and the chance to search the whole website for particular items. Or use the search button below.