ORIGINAL INTRODUCTION BY DAVID SEBBORN
This hardcopy to the Friends and Associates of John Chubb is the first draft of an incomplete, unedited work of ongoing research. It represents a trawl of materials in the Somerset Record Office, particularly deeds and Corporation Minute Books. It is incomplete because Not all the Chubb images are yet available There are still other likely sources to consult The database of which this is a current hardcopy will be added to as time permits and information becomes available.
The information is currently set out as follows:
- Name, Title, Image no. in the form BWRAB: …
- Description of main features of the likeness Data supplied prior to commencement of the current research (most culled from the previous research of Mary Chubb).
- References to deeds and other miscellaneous documents in the Somerset Record Office [now the Heritage Centre.]
- Information from Bridgwater Corporation Minute Books – these offer insights in to the civic careers of many of Chubb’s associates, together with a range of Corporation property transaction, in which Chubb’s associates were involved.
- Image(s) where available TD.J.S. 14.4.2005
NEW INTRODUCTION BY TONY WOOLRICH
A well as the making the biographical database, volunteers transcribed a number of the Chubb MSS – letters and notebooks. Work continued until 2007, when the project was abandoned. The server with all the documentation was wiped in 2010, leaving in the Museum library a binder with the print-out, and binders of other documents. The Corona virus lock-down of 2020 gave the opportunity to re-visit the files of transcripts, create properly sorted and edited texts, and place them on the museum’s website.
The Chubb research notes file was retrieved from the museum library in October and Optical Character Recognition software was used to re-create the text of the research notes which can now be used for further work. Once the lock-down is over, maybe a new generation of volunteers might come forward who can visit the Heritage Centre archive at Taunton, check the originals and add anything missing, so completing the project that had begun almost twenty years ago.
The research notes file was found to contain a typed list of names and catalogue number with 21 more names than are in the print out – clearly the material added to the database between 2005 and 2007 making 120 in total. This list follows at page 4. Additional pages have therefore been added, and the recent version begins at page 6.
The pages have been updated where possible. Since the original work was done, major biographical databases have appeared online, in particular for members of Parliament, and Anglican clergy. There are also online lists of the names of students at Oxford and Cambridge and similar sources, such as Wikipedia entries.