I am the product of two Hampshire families and have spent my working life managing and farming family properties. My home at Greywell has been in my mother’s family ownership since 1787 and houses a collection of family portraits mostly from my father’s side. Much of my time has been spent preserving a crumbling family house and its lovely contents.
There is a huge and comprehensive family archive which my father and I decided should go the Hampshire Record Office. We were concerned that although stored in purpose built cabinets, it did not have the long term protection required for it. Further, we felt that it was not as accessible to researchers as it should have been and we did not have the necessary skills, time or resources to manage their need.
However, from the archive I have had the pleasure of a reasonable working knowledge of what my family has been up to for the last 8 generations and appreciate the value of archives of whatever kind to the enrichment and education of all people. A recent trip with HAT to the FAST museum at Farnborough was proof of that if any is needed.
Menu