Cropredy Hisorical Society
Our Past.
Our Society is based on the work of former resident Pam Keegan who spent over 15 years researching the history of all things Cropredy.
Pam collected a vast amount of information about current and former families and properties in the village. Much of her spare time was spent visiting record offices, reference libraries, and many other sources to gather information.
Pam particularly enjoyed meeting Cropredy people in their own homes - often arriving with a pad of paper and a tape measure in her hand!
In 1977 Pam founded Cropredy Historical Society which has continued to flourish and now has about fifty members.
More recently Pam's records have been scanned to CD and indexed by a small group of volunteers - this has resulted in a database of over 25,000 pages which we now refer to as 'Cropredy Archives'.
Our Present.
The Society holds regular meetings with visiting speakers; and in the summer we arrange outdoor visits to places of interest.
Membership costs just £12 a year and gives free access to all indoor meetings.
Non-members are very welcome to join us for individual talks at a charge of £5 per indoor meeting.
Cropredy Historical Society is an informal and friendly group and welcomes new members and visitors to our meetings.
Our Future.
Whilst we plan to continue holding regular meetings on a wide variety of subjects we are still very aware of our local roots.
Our members particularly enjoy learning about countryside topics and local events, activities and traditions.
Suggestions for future topics, speakers and visits in and around north Oxfordshire are therefore always appreciated.
The 'Cropredy Archives' will remain a valuable source of reference for our members and we hope to continue adding fresh information and photos to our collection.
Historical Society Publications.
Books by Pamela Keegan
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The Town of Cropredy 1570-1640
IA record of the local history of a village in Oxfordshire during the 16th & 17th centuries.
Books edited by Pamela Keegan
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The Cooknells of Cropredy Green
The record of a young girl's life in Cropredy, born in 1896 and leaving the village at the age of 22. The record is gathered from letters to Pamela Keegan from America.
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The Bakers and Carrier's Daughter
A spoken history of events from the turn of the century up to the 1970's, collected and edited by Pamela Keegan.
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The Pettifers of Creampot Lane
A spoken history of a family as seen by two generations of it's women. They relate their lives from childhood to marriage.
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My Dear Harry or The Letters of Mary Ann Fisher
This is a beautiful collection of letters, mostly from Mary Ann to her husband Harry, a tax collector, whom she had met when he was billeted in Cropredy in the 1870s. They are the property of Freda Wright, a descendant of Mary Anne's, who has also made some original drawings of Cropredy, as it would have been at that time.
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The Wheelwrights Apprentice
The spoken record of the youth and working life of Arthur Pettifer, continuing the story of Cropredy from 1910. He provided his Diary and Workbook, which will be printed later.
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Letters from Colin Shirley
A history of the Shirley family and of Colin especially, who was a master Carpenter and Joiner mostly with the local builder Cherry & Son Ltd.
Other publications by the Historical Society
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Battle of Cropredy Bridge
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Cropredy Bridge
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Doomsday Book
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The Church Rooms
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The Railway