A MOVEMENT that started in mainland Europe, was piloted in 1992 by local historian Lesley Burton and the Gosport Society has mushroomed nationally and led ultimately to the launch in Winchester of a new organization, the Hampshire History Trust (HHT). Spearheaded by Nicky Gottlieb and Becky Brown, it started five years ago as the Winchester Heritage Open Day (actually growing to 10 days), which was so successful that it has now triggered a much more ambitious plan to create a county-wide, history-based organization. HODs originally began by offering free visits to places that people might not normally visit – such as museums and galleries – and others that are not normally open. The aim was to showcase and present new ideas to communities, so, anyone could be a ‘tourist for a day’. Since then, it has developed into much more, with guided walks and visits, talks, exhibitions, workshops, and children’s activities.
A MOVEMENT that started in mainland Europe, was piloted in 1992 by local historian Lesley Burton and the Gosport Society has mushroomed nationally and led ultimately to the launch in Winchester of a new organization, the Hampshire History Trust (HHT). Spearheaded by Nicky Gottlieb and Becky Brown, it started five years ago as the Winchester Heritage Open Day (actually growing to 10 days), which was so successful that it has now triggered a much more ambitious plan to create a county-wide, history-based organization. HODs originally began by offering free visits to places that people might not normally visit – such as museums and galleries – and others that are not normally open. The aim was to showcase and present new ideas to communities, so, anyone could be a ‘tourist for a day’. Since then, it has developed into much more, with guided walks and visits, talks, exhibitions, workshops, and children’s activities.
FOR hundreds of years, individuals – all male, unpaid and with no requirement for legal training – were rubber-stamped as JPs onto the Commission of the Peace, to run local government and sit in judgement in the lower courts. The only condition was that they owned freehold land of a certain value (latterly £100), and had the approval of the Chancellor (in practice the Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire) who awarded a dedimus potestatem writ (meaning ‘we have given the power’). Lists of hundreds of JPs who were appointed to the Commission are held in the Hampshire Record Office under headings such as ‘Our most dear Cousins and Councillors’. The one for 1836 covers seven large sheets and represents the great and the good of the county.