The Sixteenth Season has been a difficult one for the Society. Dire warnings from the Treasurer emphasised the excessive cost of producing our Bulletin. We embarked, therefore, upon a period of reflection: it was clear that members wanted the Bulletin but it was also evident that the price was becoming unattractive because of the 300 print run, necessary to obtain economies of scale. Fortunately, we also discovered that technology could be our saviour and this edition will be the first to be printed ‘digitally’. We hope you agree that the print quality has been, in fact, enhanced – especially the photographs – but we are able to achieve this by lowering overheads since we can print exactly as many as we need for the same cost per unit, whether we order 1 or 300. Moreover, the printing process no longer needs the laborious manual cutting and pasting of photographs. For this advance, we are grateful to David McShee of HB Digital in Innsworth but also our traditional printer has ceased to print traditionally and can now offer us the digital process. The main sacrifice – and there is always a price to pay! – is that we can only publish a slimmer edition. All this reflection required us to postpone the publishing date to 1 September 2007.

There was, however, good news concerning the 2006 edition: our member and professional archaeologist Richard Sermon won the County Jerrard Award for the Society with his article, The Jew of Tewkesbury – an Urban Myth? This is the second year running that the Society has scooped this award but, because of the late publication date, we shall unfortunately not qualify for the 2007 award. Richard’s article prompted a response from a colleague so he has undertaken more investigation into 89-90 Church Street. In addition, we are delighted that Richard has allowed us to publish his article on Mitton after a very popular talk brought his reputation to our attention. In presenting the Woodard Award this year, the co-adjudicator John Loosely reported that the British Association of Local History had commented upon the plethora of articles being published in Gloucestershire! We are grateful to John and his colleague David Evans for their time and expertise in adjudicating on our Woodard Award which was won in 2006 by your President with his article, entitled Tewkesbury’s Obsession with Nelson? One anomaly was discovered within the rules concerning this award and, in future, the Committee has agreed that an article should be considered if it is published over two or more editions. Cliff Burd’s two articles on Tewkesbury’s Stockingers was highly commended but was unfortunately excluded from the award because of this anomaly.

The change in date does not suit everyone and there is an absence this year of some regular contributors. Janet Devereux’s lectures to U3A have enabled us to focus upon a Royal Jubilee in 1897 which benefited the Town in its legacy of the Victoria Pleasure Gardens, while Derek Round’s indefatigable researches and contacts among local people have yielded a valuable treasure trove of photographs of the 1891 Great Freeze in Tewkesbury. Dr. Jim Freeman, a statistician born and educated in the Town, has provided yet more of his grandfather Halsey Freeman’s superb photographic archive with the last of his biographical articles. However, we hope that he will keep writing so that he can reveal more of the archive in future editions. The absence of regular contributors enables others to take their place and we are delighted to welcome Don Freeman, who himself keeps popping up in photographs of old Tewkesbury, to write about his maternal Cleal Family. It is always sad to record the death of members but, this year, nonagenarian Almer Page passed away. His clear memories of Tewkesbury have been a valuable source of information to your President and the Database and so it is apt that his son David has written a biography of his father which coincides with the sad closure of one of Tewkesbury’s famous staple industries, Healing’s Mill. Almer was typical of generations of Tewkesburians who followed their fathers to work in that less than satanic mill. Finally, my election to the Town Council has inspired me to write about Captain Price, our Liberal M.P. and Victorian Gentleman of learning who donated to the Corporation the Insignia still worn by our Mayors today. History records, however, that he lost his seat through corruption: how justified was this?

As ever I must express our gratitude to Derek Benson and Sam Eedle who donate their professional expertise to give us the best possible layout and cover.