(1938 – 2004)
Published in Windlesora 29 (2013)
© WLHG
Photo: Hester Davenport.
“… from 1969 she led a series of WEA classes on the theme ‘Discovering Windsor’, believing that while the history of Windsor Castle was very well documented, that of the town was not. From this course a group of like-minded people emerged who decided to meet additionally, pool information and publish it. A first meeting took place on 4th January 1976 with Judith as chairman, and the Windsor Local History Publications Group was created, with the aim of ‘combining scholarship with readability’ … Our first publication, The Changing Face of Windsor: The Beginnings, chronicling the town’s history up to 1350, was written by Judith with the group’s support. Illustrated with line drawings and maps, it attracted much attention. The Group went on to research and write The Streets of Windsor and Eton, with Judith contributing two of the sections … In 1982, a journal was launched, Windlesora, to which Judith contributed many items…”
Judith was Honorary and then official Curator of the Royal Borough Museum Collection, cataloguing the collection’s artefacts. Her tireless efforts ensured the maintenance and expansion of the collection, and she started support groups such as the Friends of the RBMC and the Volunteers. After her retirement in 2000, Judith was diagnosed with cancer but refused to allow that to interfere with her research and writing. She contributed the first section of Windsor: A Thousand Years, and she was commissioned to write the histories of Burnham Beeches and Colnbrook. In the New Year’s Honours List of 2004, Judith was awarded an MBE for ‘services to museums’. As Hester Davenport wrote, “no honour could have been more richly deserved”.
Sadly Judith died in 2004, a great loss.
From Judith’s obituary in Windlesora 21
Hester Davenport & Beryl Hedges
Although not mentioned directly above, extracts of two articles by Judith in Windlesora 01 (1982) are reproduced in this edition. Rather than reproducing them here, we have provided links to the online versions:
Windlesora 01: “The Fascination of Directories” by Judith Hunter
Windlesora 01: “Windsor Gingerbread” by Judith Hunter
Windsor Local History Group 