12 May 2026, St Mary’s Church Hall, 7.30pm.
Berkeley castle and the Berkeley family
A talk by Jane Handoll.
Discover the dramatic story of the castle and family — royal visits and seizures, a king’s imprisonment (and possible murder), the last private battle on English soil, Civil War negotiations that saved the castle, and a Georgian scandal over a questionable marriage — survival through cunning, luck, and centuries of influence.
Jane Handoll lives in Berkeley and worked as a guide at the castle for nearly 20 years. A qualified Blue Badge guide, she knows Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds well. Although she disliked history at school, she confesses that it now fascinates her; she is always eager to discover where people came from and how their lives wove the fabric of our history.
The members are Chair: Gill Cox; Secretary: Ann Moore; Treasurer: John Brimacombe; Members: Viv Burney, Stan Morrissey and Liz Roberts.
We would like more committee members to ensure that the monthly talks run smoothly. If you would like to help, please tell us via the contact form 
or speak to one of us at the next meeting.
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Some other sites you may find interesting:
Thornbury and District Museum
Thornbury Roots
Avon Local History and Archaeology
Gloucestershire Local History Association
British Association of Local History
Edward Jenner and Smallpox.
In an experiment 230 years ago, a local physician took pus from a woman infected with cowpox and injected it into an 8-year-old boy. The outcome of that reckless action, Professor Gareth Williams told us, has been the total eradication of one of the most devastating diseases known to humanity and the saving of millions of lives.
Stan Morrissey’s report is here:
Princess Caraboo of Almondsbury.
A young woman arrived in the village in April 1817, claiming to be an East Indies princess who had been abducted by pirates and brought to England. She rapidly became famous and feted by society, only to be unmasked as a cobbler’s daughter from Devon. Tom Sanday told her extraordinary story at our February meeting.
Stan Morrissey’s report is here:
We have for decades prepared summaries of our talks, which have appeared in the Thornbury Magazine and elsewhere, and which collectively make up an informative and often witty record.
Those for the 2020 to 2025 seasons are now online. See the index here: More than 80 reports of older meetings may be found on our page on myThornbury:
We were created just after the Second World War under the name of the Society of Thornbury Folk. Nearly 80 years and three changes of name later we’re still here. Read about our history: