About Gilcrux Archive

MISSION
The Gilcrux Community Archive exists to keep the story of your parish alive. It belongs to everyone who calls Gilcrux home. In time, this archive is where you’ll find census records, family histories, photographs, local stories… The kind of everyday detail that just doesn’t make it into official history books. We want this archive to grow with the community. That means your memories, your photographs and your family stories matter here just as much as any document held in a distant library or record office. This is a living archive. It will never be finished. And that’s the point.

HOW IT BEGAN
The archive began outdoors. A parish councillor spent years making lots of notes in her journal about the hedgerow species, the canopy above, the birds, and the seasonal changes around the village. That close attention to the natural world led, almost inevitably, to the graveyard at St Mary’s Church. The names on the stones prompted questions. Who were these people? What were their lives like? Census records followed. Then family trees, local stories and breadcrumb trails through the parish’s past. The result is a growing collection that connects names on old records to the real people behind them. Now the archive has a permanent home of its own. This website is where that collection will continue to grow, held locally and shaped by the people who live here.

HOW IT’S GOING
We want the Gilcrux Community Archive to become the first place people turn to when they want to understand this parish. Whether you are a young person doing a school project, a parent curious about the history of your house, or a long time resident searching for traces of your grandparents’ lives, this archive is for you. Our long-term aims are:
To make local history free and easy to access for everyone in the parish. To bring together records, photographs and stories that would otherwise remain scattered across distant archives, private collections and fading memories.
To give every parishioner the chance to contribute their own knowledge and keep the archive growing. We also hope that what we build here will inspire other communities to do the same.

VALUES
Every voice matters. Official records tend to remember landowners, clergy, the wealthy… This archive makes room for everyone. Plain and open. Everything here is written to be understood. No jargon. No prior knowledge needed. The website was made and is updated by a parishioner with the support of a small group of volunteers. It sits within a wider community enterprise called Before We Leave, which helps individuals and community groups across the UK preserve their local history through research, storytelling and practical guidance. More information about that work is available at beforeweleave.co.uk.

WORK IN PROGRESS and COMING SOON

Visit The Village Vault to see the full collection so far.

Inside the archive you’ll find census records with breadcrumb trails – Each entry is a starting point, not just a name. Follow the links to discover what happened to the people behind the records. We’ll be adding more detailed stories of Gilcrux families over the years and, coming soon: Stories from Stone. An atmospheric audio guide to St Mary’s churchyard. Put your headphones on and let the history of the parish come to life around you.

Images of Old Chapel House Farm by Bee Lilyjones