Celebrating the 800th issue of the Tysoe and District Record

The November issue of the Tysoe & District Record or rather ‘The Record’ as it is commonly called, is notable for several reasons.

The first is that it is the 800th edition in a very long line of Tysoe village magazines. The second is the addition of colour on the front and inside. The cover boasts a bright red field of poppies to mark Remembrance Day on November 11.

David Sewell, the editor for the past 12 years, said the following about reaching the milestone: “It is a privilege to be associated with the Record which has been devoted to recording events that happen in our village since 1951. That’s quite an achievement."

The Record often includes personal notices to welcome newcomers to the village, congratulations on engagements, weddings and new arrivals, concern for the sick and obituaries for the deceased. In this way the Record paints a vivid picture of quintessential rural Warwickshire village life.

Two new sub-editors, Beverley Thorpe and Shirley Cherry, have recently joined the editorial team to help to share the load and breathe new energy and life into the village newsletter.

Beverley said: “The Record has to evolve to stay relevant to the 21st century. To this end we have created a Facebook page and are seeking to encourage contributions from the whole village, from the youngest to the oldest and everyone in-between.”

History of the Record

The earliest known reference to The Record goes back to 1870, when the vicar was charged with producing a sheet for inclusion in the National School Press.

This would contain anything of interest that had taken place in the parish during the preceding month, a calendar for the coming month, accounts, school notes etc. It was printed at the Tysoe church and school printing press.

The Record as its known today was created in 1951. Its committee consisted of: Rev TE Jones - Editor, EE Farbrother – Sub Editor, G Styles – Business Manager, Mrs TH Walton, Mrs Parrott, Mr & Mrs Edwards, Mr Quinton, Mr Trought and Mr WB Wells.

What was produced then is similar to today’s Record except that the workload was spread more equitably.

In the 1950s, post war austerity was very noticeable and the raw materials to produce the printed word were in short supply. This was also the time of Foolscap, Octavo and Quarto paper not A4 or A5, which resulted in the unusual shapes of early Records. For reasons unknown, over the years the shape of the Record changed from a publication of 5” x 8” to 8” x 10” and finally finished at the A5 size used today.

David Sewell added: “I was honoured when my predecessor asked me to take on the editorial mantle from her. This was a lovely sequel to my first involvement with The Record as a teenager in the seventies. Wax stencils and Roneo duplicators ruled supreme then.”