- ReferenceZ153
- TitleGifts from the Godber family
- Admin/biog historyAmy Joyce Godber (1906-1999) was the second child and only daughter of Isaac Godber and Bessie Chapman. In 1942 Miss Godber, who was always known as Joyce, was appointed acting clerk of records to Bedfordshire County Council in place of the clerk of records who was absent due to the war. After the clerk of records returned from war service Miss Godber's position looked in some doubt but the clerk soon departed to Somerset to establish a record office for that county and Miss Godber was confirmed in the post which was retitled as County Archivist. Miss Godber was to hold this post until she was seconded by the county council to write 'A History of Bedfordshire', published in 1969. She retired from the county council once the book was completed. As well as writing 'A History of Bedfordshire' Miss Godber wrote a book on the history of Bedford and on the Harpur Trust and some of her research notes and drafts are included in this collection. Miss Godber's family was not a Bedfordshire one - her father came from the Derbyshire/Nottinghamshire border and her mother from Hertfordshire, however the collection also includes documents on the Godber and Chapman families and some papers and letters of the family. Some of these were deposited by Miss Godber's nephew Francis Giles Godber, only son of her youngest brother Frank. In spite of not being a Bedfordshire family to begin with Isaac and Bessie first lived in Kempston and then moved to Willington where Isaac established a substantial flower nursery business. Their eldest son, William, farmed in Harrold and other sons were involved in the nursery business at Willington. Bessie's sister, Mary, lived on a farm at Eaton Bray.
- Reference
- Level of descriptionfonds
- Persons/institution keyword
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