This is a work in progress and will grow over the years. We want to show the people, both royal and common, the buildings, the politics, the church, et al in this section.
Local Blue Plaques
The local Blue Plaque scheme commemorates notable people, places, and events linked to the borough by installing permanent signs on local buildings. You will be able to find them all in this section. We have added details and pointers to find other information. It includes plaques that have disappeared over time, right up to the very latest announcement that you will see in BBC Berkshire News.
Local VC Recipients
The Victoria Cross is the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the United Kingdom. It is presented to members of the British Armed Forces for acts of valour “in the presence of the enemy“. There are 46 local recipients of the Victoria Cross since it was created, many of them posthumously. We do not want to forget these heroes of past and present who have contributed so much so we can enjoy our lives. Lest we forget.
Early Years of Windsor
As a start, we have taken excerpts from our publication “Windsor – A Thousand Years” to tell the story of the Early Years of Windsor from 1 AD to 1500 AD. The first thousand years are directly from the book; unfortunately, little remains of that period. The next 500 years are presented in a timeline format, and highlights the Domesday Book, the birth of New Windsor, and the establishment of the Guildhall.
John Norden (c1754 – 1625) was a renowned cartographer/topographer who was appointed as surveyor of the royal woods and forests of Berkshire in 1600. We have reproduced Norden’s 1607 Map of the Town of Windsor and the Little Park, which makes interesting reading and really needs a cuppa tea and biccie whilst savouring the detail.
Eton Prime Ministers
Twenty of the UK’s Prime Ministers were educated at Eton College. Many of the names are instantly recognisable. For each, we have some key facts and created a timeline of major events in their life; references have been added too. We hope that this helps you with your studies. See our Eton Prime Ministers page.
Members of Parliament
We have a dedicated page about the Members of Parliament for the Windsor constituency. It is split into various sections that show the development of the UK electoral system. For many years, the constituency had two MPs, many of whom did little or nothing in Parliament. After reform, it became a single, professional MP who focussed most of their efforts for the betterment of the local community and UK.
Bailiffs and Mayors
The term “bailiff” refers to ancient roles and is not a current position in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (RBWM) council, which instead has council leaders and mayors. Local government can be traced back to 1321. They are all remembered on a board in the Guildhall, called Bailiffs and Mayors of Windsor. We have reproduced it on a searchable page for local historians.
Windlesora
Windlesora is our annual journal of the WLHG. Articles cover a wide range of topics related to Windsor, Old Windsor, and Eton. Each Windlesora contains any number of fascinating articles about the town, its businesses, its people, and more. The cumulative content of over 500 articles, represents a valuable source of information.
Newspaper Clippings and Scrapbooks
Over the years, the Group have collected numerous Newspaper Clippings regarding local history, the Group, the Friends of the Museum, and other related topics. We have also digitised our Scrapbooks to make them a useful resource for local historians.
Windsor Local History Group 