Like any craftsman, the historian needs raw materials.

Wiltshire Record Society

The documentary record, reporting who did what, when, and why, is often cumbersome, hard to read and understand, and immensely time-consuming to search.

And so, for at least two centuries, scholars have been transcribing, summarising and indexing – and then publishing – the most important sources needed for the historian’s toolbox. Long series of national records are available, but many sources are essentially local, relating to a town, a neighbourhood or a county. In many places, therefore, local record societies were established to help communities discover and interpret their history.

The Wiltshire Record Society is one of these, and over more than eighty years has established itself as a leading and highly respected publisher of editions of local records. Our website explains what we do, catalogues what we have done, and makes available for searching and download most of what we have published, and more besides.

It also invites you to join in our work by becoming a member of our society.