The Bristol Poor: An Alternated Narrative, 1884-1910

In this article, Chris Montague looks the impact of the 1834 Poor Law amendment, and its impact on society's ability to help the poor. Furthermore, the essay covers how the "ideology of such a law was to be seen well into the late nineteenth and early twentieth century in Bristol".

Urban Oligarchy, Conflict and Concealment: Religion, Politics and Society in late 16th-Century Bath

The Reformation of English towns has provided an attractive field of research for scholars in recent decades, yet Bath’s Tudor experience has been persistently overlooked. In the late sixteenth century two events disturbed the religious and social equilibrium of the city: the attempted amalgamation of the inner-city parishes, and an inquisition into alleged concealed lands. These events had profound immediate and long-term social, political and religious repercussions. In this article, Emma Corker highlights the significance of these events, which have often been overlooked by those interested in Reformation history.

‘Fancy and useful’: Bazaars and middle class women in late Victorian Salisbury

Leisure was a substantial part of the life of a Victorian lady. Leisure pursuits took place mostly in the domestic sphere, although attendance at theatres, concerts and flower shows increasingly brought leisured ladies into the public. Another undertaking of these ladies which brought them into the public arena was voluntary philanthropic work. Jane Howells explores the Salisbury Bazaars, where middle class local women sold the products of their leisured labour as a means of charitable fundraising.

Extract from the Diary of Sarah Champion Fox / Introduction to the Diary of Sarah Champion Fox

This is an extract from the diaries of Bristol Quaker Sarah Champion Fox published by the Bristol Record Society edited by Madge Dresser. Dresser provides an analysis of the extract. It provides context from the life Sarah Champion Fox, and discusses her role in the history of women. In addition, she also gives an insight into the mindset of Bristol's female icons, placing her in an important period of the city's history.

Guardians of the Poor: A Philanthropic Female Elite in Bristol

Being a Poor Law Guardian was an elected position which was open to certain middle and upper class women from 1869 and to women in general after 1894. The work was unpaid and in that sense similar to much work undertaken in the voluntary sector. Moira Martin examines the entry of women into one sphere of local government, the administration of Poor Relief.

Edward Colston and Bristol

Benefactor or Brute? Edward Colston's statue has long presided over Bristol's city centre. The monument proclaiming the benefactions which this immensely wealthy merchant bestowed on the city in the early eighteenth century was defaced in ... by an obscenity which included the words 'slave trader' spray-painted across the statue's base in blood-red paint. Madge Dresser reviews Ken Morgan’s scholarly pamphlet addresses the contentious topic of the statue which stood in Bristol city centre.