10 November 2026, St Mary’s Church Hall, 7.30pm.
Gloucester and the slave trade
An illustrated talk by Tony Condor.
Gloucestershire has deep associations with slavery. Tony Condor will explore both sides — the local businesses, estates, and individuals who profited from plantation investments as well as the county’s significant role in the fight for abolition. Through the personal stories of local people, he will show what slavery truly was and how its legacy endures today.
Tony Conder researches and talks on topics related to Gloucestershire. He is involved with Gloucester’s plans to celebrate the bicentenary of the docks in 2027 and a new project to restore the tall ship Kathleen and May.
Meetings are at St Mary’s Church Hall, Eastbury Road, Thornbury. They begin at 7.30pm and last about 90 minutes, usually with a break for free refreshments (tea/coffee and biscuits).
10 November 2026
Annual General Meeting
At 7pm, preceding the talk.
Gloucester and the slave trade
Tony Condor
8 December 2026
A history of this Society
Meg Wise
12 January 2027
Die Hard in Spain: Hector Maclaine
Ben Mallett
9 February 2027
Woodchester Mansion – an unfinished masterpiece
Liz Davenport
9 March 2027
Update on the Alveston Archaeological dig and other local discoveries
Aaron Girdlestone
13 April 2027
The Cotswold Canal Trust
Louise Nicholson
11 May 2027
A Blue Plaque tour of Gloucestershire
Andy Mellor
Please note this programme may be subject to change.
We were created just after the Second World War under the name of the Society of Thornbury Folk. Eighty years and three changes of name later we’re still here. We will be celebrating the anniversary with Meg Wise’s talk about our history at the December meeting. She will greatly enlarge the story we tell here: 
If you have any questions regarding the Society or want to become more involved, then please do not hesitate to send us a message through our online contact form:
The members are Chair: Gill Cox; Secretary: Ann Moore; Treasurer: John Brimacombe; Members: Viv Burney, Stan Morrissey and Liz Roberts.
The subscription for the 2026-27 season is £12.00.
You can join by contacting us through our online contact form ; our treasurer will respond with bank transfer details. Or you can pay at the first meeting you attend.
Non-members can come as a visitor for a single meeting by paying £3.50 at the door.
In March 2026 Professor Gareth Williams gave us an interesting talk on the discovery of a successful treatment against smallpox by Edward Jenner . Following this the Society was offered a group tour of his house in Berkeley, which we gladly accepted.
Stan Morrissey’s report is here:
Berkeley castle and the Berkeley family
A dramatic story: royal visits and seizures, a king’s imprisonment (and possible murder), the last private battle on English soil, Civil War deals that saved the castle, and a Georgian scandal over a questionable marriage.
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 2026 seasons are now online. See the index here: More than 80 reports of older meetings may be found on our page on myThornbury:
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.
Follow us on Facebook
See our page on MyThornbury
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