This is an annual award for what the judges believe to be the best published article on an aspect of Gloucestershire’s local history in a GLHA member group’s journal during the preceding year. It is named after Bryan Jerrard, who served as Chairman of the Gloucestershire Rural Community Council’s Local History Committee (now replaced by the GLHA) between 1978 and 1998.

In making their choice, the judges consider the following criteria –

1. The amount and quality of original research undertaken.

2. The contribution that the article makes to local history in Gloucestershire and, where appropriate, the extent to which it puts the topic into a wider Regional or National context.

3. The style and presentation of the article including, where appropriate, the use of maps, plans and illustrations, the inclusion of footnotes (endnotes) and a bibliography.

The winner of the 2022 Award was:

Eedle, Sam, ‘The School Mistress and the Cross’, Tewkesbury Historical Society Bulletin 31 (2022).

The ‘runner-up’ was:

Sullivan, Chris, ‘Charles Bathurst saves Lydney Dog and finds God’, The New Regard 36 (2022).

GLHA is most grateful to The History Press for sponsoring the prizes for this year’s Award.

Shortlist for the 2022 Award

The shortlist for the 2022 Award may be viewed here.

Submitting Your Journal

Local History Groups and Societies who would like their most recent Journal to be considered for the 2023 Award should let the GLHA Chairman, Steven Blake, have a copy, either by hand at a GLHA meeting, or by post to ‘Delton’, Fairmount Road, Cheltenham GL51 7AQ.

Previous Winners

2021   Spry, Nigel, ‘In Memoriam: Gloucester’s Nineteenth Century Cholera Epidemics’, Glevensis 53 (2021).

2020   Deeks, Roger, ‘The Persistence of the Brass Band Tradition in the Forest of Dean’, The New Regard 34 (2020).

2019   Mullin, David, ‘Forty Shilling Freeholders? How the Foresters got the Vote’, The New Regard (the Journal of the Forest of Dean Local History Society) 33 (2019).

2018   Ryland-Epton, Louise, ‘Cirencester Workhouse under the Old Poor Law’, Transactions of the Bristol & Gloucestershire Archaeological Society 135 (2017).

2017   Maxwell, Carol, ‘Painswick’s Criminal Past’, Painswick Chronicle (The journal of the Painswick Local History Society) 19 (2015).

2016   Herbert, Nicholas, ‘ The Squatter and Rural Settlement in the Georgian Age: Woolridge Common, Hartpury’, Transactions of the Bristol & Gloucestershire Archaeological Society 133 (2015).

2015   Rhodes, John, ‘The Civil War Defences of Gloucester’, Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society 132 (2014).

2014   Broadway, Jan, ‘Gloucester Gardeners 1650-1763’, Transactions of the Bristol & Gloucestershire Archaeological Society 131 (2013).

2013   Charlesworth, Diane, ‘Medieval Tibberton’, Glevensis 44 (2011).

2012   Evans, William, ‘Norborne Berkeley’s Politics: Principle, Party or Pragmatism?’, Transactions of the Bristol & Gloucestershire Archaeological Society 129 (2011).

2011   Nicholls, Eric & Deeks, Roger, ‘Private Reginald Thomas Packer, Grenadier Guards and the Memorial Gates at St Stephen’s Church, Cinderford’, The New Regard: the journal of the Forest of Dean Local History Society 25 (2011).

2010   Moore-Scott, Terry, ‘Medieval Fish Weirs in the mid-tidal reaches of the Severn River’, Glevensis 42 (2010).

2009   Hamilton, A., ‘Samuel Whitfield Daukes, 1811-1880. Architectural Hero or Rogue?’ Cheltenham Local History Society Journal 25 (2009).

2008   Conway-Jones, Hugh, ‘Nicks & Co., long established timber merchants of Gloucester’ Gloucestershire Society for Industrial Archaeology Journal for 2007.

2007   Howse, C., ‘Early District Nursing in Gloucestershire’ Gloucestershire History 20 (2007).

2006   Sermon, R. ‘The Jew of Tewkesbury. An Urban Myth?’ Tewkesbury Historical Society Bulletin 15 (2006).