Welcome to Hampshire Archives Trust
The Hampshire Archives Trust (HAT) is a member-led charity that works to support and promote Hampshire’s rich archival heritage.
We deliver this work by giving grants, through education and events, and developing local history networks – preserving memories for the future.
HAT works closely with and supports the Hampshire Record Office in Winchester, the Southampton Archives and the Portsmouth History Centre which between them hold archive collections dating back over 1000 years from across Hampshire.
You can help to save important local archives by applying to us for a grant to fund your project, becoming a HAT member or making a donation.
The Perfect Gift
Want to buy an exciting and thoughtful gift for someone? Why not buy them a Hampshire Archives Trust membership? It’s so easy.
= figures below relate to grants awarded since January 2019 to February 2024
Grants Awarded
Projects Funded
Success Rate
Upcoming Events
Muddy Petticoats and Parasols: Uncovering Jane Austen’s experience of walking
2025May21 Event description: In this beautifully illustrated talk, we will explore Jane Austen’s experience of walking, from where she walked and what she wore to how she navigated muddy lanes during the winter months. By looking at her letters, contemporary conduct books, and the potential risks to walking women, we’ll uncover whether Austen herself followed social […]
The Gregg School
2025May28 In the early 20th century, Townhill Park, a 23-acre estate in Southampton, was home to the Jewish Montagu Samuel family, who became Lord Swaythling. Samuel Montagu founded the foreign exchange and banking firm Samuel Montagu and Co in 1853, which played a significant role in establishing London as the clearing house for the international money […]
Our News
House histories project, Bishops Waltham
Bishop’s Waltham Society is to create and spread information about the history and architecture within the civil parish of Bishop’s Waltham. The Bishop’s Waltham Museum
Captain Swing and Hampshire 1830
HAT has awarded £2000 towards an exhibition RIOTS ON RECORD The Story of the Captain Swing Riots of 1830 in Hampshire as revealed by records
Find out how Southampton prepared for the Armada in 1588
HAT has awarded £500 of funding to the Sarah Siddons fan club to help with the costs of staging Southampton events 3-5th August 2025 culminating
Micheldever Station
HAT has awarded £500 to support events at Micheldever Station to celebrate the Community created by the Railway. There will be a 2 day event
Andover: An Overspill Story in Film – project concludes
What has the project achieved? Andover: An Overspill Story was a 12-month community project created with the support of the British Film Institute, awarding funds
Update on Hampshire Archives Survey – December 2024
HAT has recently completed stage 1 of its survey of holders of archives in Hampshire. In preparing for the survey preliminary research identified over 200
Gift
Make a Financial Gift
By making a financial gift to the HAT you are directly funding the preservation of valuable local history archives for future generations. The HAT awards grants to local history projects which are judged to be of particular historical value in Hampshire. Whether you’d like to make a one-off donation, leave a legacy in your will or make a regular donation, it is very straight-forward.
Stories from the Archives
Placing Jane
As part of the programme of events marking the 250th Anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth, the author’s former home of Southampton hosted a sellout study
Railway 200 in Hampshire
Hopefully it won’t have escaped your attention that 2025 is being marked as ‘Railway 200’, cast as the 200th anniversary of the birth of the
Series 3: Episode 10 – Women Writers in Eighteenth-Century Hampshire
This episode is about the work of Legasee Educational Trust, which Daniella finds out about from Martin Bisiker, who set up this educational charity. Martin discuss the types of materials available on the Legasee Educational Trust website, the stories of veterans, giving examples from Hampshire, and some of the exciting projects that Legasee Educational Trust has been involved in.
Watercress Line Heritage railway community textile timeline of the railways for railway 200
The Watercress Line Heritage railway near Winchester has been working with over 100 individuals and community groups across Hampshire and further afield to create a
Series 3: Episode 9 – Legasee Educational Trust and Military History in Hampshire
This episode is about the work of Legasee Educational Trust, which Daniella finds out about from Martin Bisiker, who set up this educational charity. Martin discuss the types of materials available on the Legasee Educational Trust website, the stories of veterans, giving examples from Hampshire, and some of the exciting projects that Legasee Educational Trust has been involved in.
Series 3: Episode 8 – Discovering the Hispanic-Anglosphere in Hampshire
In this episode Daniella was joined by Dr Graciela Iglesias-Rogers, Senior Lecturer in Modern European and Global Hispanic History at the University of Winchester and lead researcher of the AHRC-funded international research network project ‘The Hispanic Anglosphere: Transnational networks and global communities (18th–20th centuries)’.