AN interest in family history put Pauline Scott-Garrett on the trail of her grandfather’s past and brought her to the Forest of Dean to make a special presentation last Saturday (October 5).

Invited by Mary Sullivan, chairman of the Forest’s Local History Society, Pauline presented one of the top awards, The Scott-Garrett Prize, to Phil Cox, for his riveting talk on the rescue of a wreck, now known as the ‘Newport medieval ship’.

The meeting at the West Dean Centre in Bream also saw the presentation of the society’s Cyril Hart Prize

The 15th century ship had been preserved in the cloying mud of the Usk estuary and was discovered during the construction of what is now the Riverfront arts centre.

The ship was a rare and important discovery.

It is hoped that in the future, it will be on view in the city centre.

Mr Cox said it was highly likely that some of the timber used in constructing the ship came from the Forest of Dean, an area which for centuries had supplied oak and other species for the shipbuilding industry.

Accepting the award, he said: “It is so nice when you present to an audience that understand and enjoy history.”

Pauline had been unaware of the Scott-Garrett prize or her family connection until finding out about it online.

It was gifted to the society by her grandfather, Dr Charles Scott-Garrett, in memory of his wife Gladys.

Ms Scott-Garrett said: “I was researching my Irish family history and I came across the award which was very exciting and I got in touch with the society.

“It is fantastic that the love between our grandparents resulted in this award and the society is keeping it going.”

In his will he gifted a sum of money to enable an annual award to be made for the best talk .

Dr Scott-Garrett had come to live at Aylburton in 1939.

A noted archaeologist, he played a leading role in local excavations, including a Bronze Age barrow at Tidenham, a Norman camp at Littledean and the Chesters Villa Roman site at Woolaston.

He also discovered a complete fossil of an ichthyosaurus on the shores of the Severn, which was 10ft long.

Employed by the Ministry of Munitions, he had come to the Forest to manage the wood distillation plant at Cannop which produced acetone for the war effort.

He became the society’s second president, holding the role for 19 years.

Pauline Scott-Garrett, accompanied by her sister Caroline, spoke of her pleasure at renewing her family links and presented a gift to the society.

The Cyril Hart Prize for the best written and researched article was won by David Mullin for his piece Forty Shilling for Freeholders about the extension of the vote in the Forest of Dean in the 19th century.

The article appeared in the society’s journal The New Regard.

He was unable to be at the meeting to be presented with the award, but in a message he said it was “a particular pleasure” to receive it.

He said: “I, like so many others, was first introduced to the history of the Forest through the writings of Dr Hart.

“The breadth and depth of his research made me think that the future of local history would simply be footnotes to Hart.

“The early issues of the Regard showed me there was more to be done and that anyone could have a go.

“I am glad to have made a small contribution.

“Thirty four years ago, the decision to publish a journal was considered bold, not to say foolhardy, by many members of the society.

“Time has vindicated the decision.

“I would like to thank all those who devote so much of their energy, time and skills to the production and distribution of the Regard,” he added.

“Without it I, for one, would dabble in research for my own interest but never finish anything.

“Nor would I have the great pleasure of discovering more about our shared history through the work of others.”

The latest edition of The New Regard was launched at the meeting on Saturday.

Among the nine articles on various aspects of Forest life is a description of a collection of diaries kept by ochre miner Thomas Hale.

The diaries were recently donated to the Dean Heritage Centre at Soudley by his family.

The centre’s collection officer, and newly-elected secretary of the history society, Nicola Wynn, describes them as “fascinating, poignant and moving.”

Thomas Hale worked as an ochre miner mainly in the Buckshaft, Shakemantle and Cinderford Causeway areas in the 1800s.

Thomas, who died in 1895, also noted the weather in great detail in the diaries, because workers had to walk everywhere.

Nicola said: “It is amazing to read a handwritten account of a man’s trials and tribulations in the late 1800s.

“The diaries are an important contribution to our understanding of the social history of the Forest of Dean at the end of the 19th century.

“I encourage local historians and interested members of the public to visit the Dean Heritage Centre and find out about the wealth of memoirs in our collection,” she added.