History of Fovant

The Fovant History Interest Group (F.H.I.G.) was formed in 2000, after Margaret McKenzie placed a notice in the village’s Three Towers magazine, asking if there was any other local interest in the village’s history. Liz Harden, who had already carried out a large amount of research into the village’s history out of personal interest, generated through an Open University degree course, responded. Along with Liz’s husband Mike, plus Beryl Paton, Sue Martindale and Audrey Nuttall, the group was formed to continue the research and recording of the village’s history. There is now a membership of around a dozen, supplemented by much informal help and support from long-standing residents, many of whom have handed over personal photographs and other memorabilia to be catalogued. Members follow their own interest in a particular area of the village’s history and report every two months at informal meetings. The amount of information and documentation collated has proved to be of great interest to villagers of all ages, when displayed on a stall manned by volunteers at the annual fête, and subsequently on open days at the Village Hall.

The website set up by the group has attracted responses from all around the world, meaning that not only has F.H.I.G. been able to help many people researching family history, but also that it has opened up a new channel of information to further the group’s own endeavours to find out more about the village’s past.

M.K.K.
2005