To assist in deciding what is “deemed worthy of permanent preservation” there is a Schedule of Recommendation Periods for Records. This covers legal and financial statutory requirements.

The local record office is Oxfordshire Record Office located in St Luke’s Church, Temple Road, Cowley, OXFORD. The post code is OX4 2EX.

This Wantage and Abingdon Circuit was formed in 1959. Previously the southern part of the circuit was in the Wantage and Wallingford circuit and those in the Abingdon area was part of the Oxford Circuit. This circuit did not make any deposit at the Oxfordshire Record Office until 1986 when about 100 years worth of documents were deposited by the superintendent minister Peter Jarvis.

Since the appointment of a circuit archivist in 2006 a succession of deposits has been made at approximately six-monthly intervals. Each deposit which may cover a number of documents is given an accession number. Details of what is in each deposit are given in a list describing the documents with the accession number quoted alongside. The lists have been placed on the circuit website www.wantageandabingdoncircuit.org.uk.

At the present time there is no particularly easy way of presenting an overall query about a specific church other than scanning the various lists.

The Oxford Record Office has two catalogues: an older catalogue which is a card index, and an electronic catalogue. At the present time The Wantage and Abingdon Circuit documents are only recorded in the old catalogue (and it is not certain whether this is as up to date as the lists on the circuit website). It is hoped that eventually the documents for this circuit will be in the electronic catalogue (as for some of the other Oxfordshire circuits) though it is not possible to say when this will happen. When that is done it would be possible to carry out an electronic search but only by going to the record office.

The existing lists are:

1. Accession 2593 - Documents Archived in 1986;

2. Accession 5596 - Documents Archived November 2006;

3. Accession 5631 - Documents Archived April 2007;

4. Accession 5683 - Documents Archived September 2007;

5. Accession 5738 - Documents Archived May 2008.

There are a few papers in the Oxford Record Office deposited by the Oxford Circuit covering some of the churches now in this circuit. A printed index of these is held, from which it is hoped to transcribe relevant entries.

A number of churches in this circuit are known to have published histories: Grove, Wallingford, Steventon. There are probably others that could be added to this list.

Trinity are known to have some historical documents but I do not have details.

Information about other documents held by the churches would be welcome.

The Berkshire Record Society have published a book in two volumes Berkshire Nonconformist Meeting House Registrations 1689-1852. During this period places or worship in private homes and chapels had to be registered with the Anglican bishop. Several existing societies are mentioned there plus many that no longer exist. For example: Blewbury (1772) Abingdon (1816), Wantage (1818).

There are other books about Methodist history in the Oxfordshire libraries catalogue.

Meanwhile the Circuit Archivist is willing to accept further documents

It is planned to put this information on the circuit website, hopefully by the time of the September Circuit Meeting.

Peter Hemmings
31 August 2008.