Peter Smith on delivering urgent files from Pewsey
Very different at the Assize Courts at the borough police station. For example, if the sergeant at Pewsey wanted to send a file to Devizes urgently, he didn’t use the post, he went down the bus station and gave it to the bus driver. And the bus drive come in
Peter and Ann Smith on the arrival of the Judge
Peter: And then the Assize Courts and the Assize Courts were like the supreme court nowadays sort of thing. The main court and the Assize Court the judge would sit. Ann: He’d arrive with a fanfare and red carpet Peter: On the first day, all the policemen would arrive and
Peter Hughes on Jury Service
Well, you’re a little bit nervous. Well, I wouldn’t say nervous. Apprehensive rather because you’re going into a system you have never been in before and you’re waiting for people to tell you what to do all the time. Then you watch the jury sworn in, hear the case. I
Quentin Goggs on being on the Jury
A man had come out of a pub in the Market Place in Devizes, obviously having too much to drink and he ran amuck with a car jack and injured somebody, I can’t remember any names, quite badly. And he was up before the court for Grievous Bodily Harm. We
Peter Hughes and Bugle Practice
And one of the boys lived in this house before we moved in. he was in the brigade and he was out there practising his bugle when a case was being heard in the assize courts. And a judge ordered a policeman to come round and tell him to shut
Terry Gaylard – Court Reporter for the Gazette and Herald
Terry Gaylard was interviewed by Lisa Brown, Curator, in 2019. Listen here to 6 extracts from the interview. Terry, a former Gazette and Herald reporter, often covered Assize Court proceedings and his testimony is full of fascinating insights into how the courts ran and its impact on Devizes. The Assizes
Jurassic Period – Lepidotus fossil
This stunning fossil is of a Lepidotus minor, from the Jurassic period. Fish were slightly different then to the ones you would see today, they had armored scales that allowed the fossil to be kept in such good condition as they did not rot leaving an almost perfect shape of
John Buckler watercolours of St Michael’s Church – Melksham
Volunteer Anna takes a look at one of our local churches... Like most churches, St Michael’s Church has a rich history and its architecture is recognised through its Grade II* listing. Being the parish church (for the Church of England) for Melksham, it has great importance for the area. The