Since William the Conqueror’s commissioners carried out his great census recording life in England in 1086, life in the English villages has continued to evolve and change until today we find ourselves fortunate enough to be living in the Sibfords in the 21st century.

However, unless we take time to record what happens in our daily lives future generations will have no reference to life in our current time — what is happening today is tomorrow’s history. The Sibfords Society Archive contains some accounts, written by previous Sibfordians in the late 1800s and during the 1900s which provide us with an invaluable insight into everyday life and work in our village. Members of the Sibfords Society would like to invite you all to help us make a record of life in a rural village in North Oxfordshire in 2010. We would like to involve everyone in our community — adults, parents, grandparents, children and all the organisations and groups who meet or worship in the Sibfords to let us know what they do and how they do it. The local economy was largely agriculturally based until the end of the Second World War. The changes just in the last 100 years have been enormous — then the carrier’s cart was the only means of getting to Banbury (unless you walked)! Now the motor car, aeroplane and space shuttle have made travel around our world possible — but what of the next 100 years? With the global climatic changes and reducing fossil fuels we may have to return to the horse transport of yesteryear — who knows?

At the beginning of the 20th century the village was self sufficient having its own school, doctor, veterinary surgeon, vicar and all the trades needed for everyday life — farmers, agricultural labourers, butcher, baker, blacksmith, shoemaker, barber, cooper, carrier, wheelwright, carpenter, tailor, shopkeepers, etc. It is easy to see how different the work patterns are today with most people needing to leave the village to go to their place of work or entertainment.

We plan to collect information anonymously although we would like to record the names of people who currently and publicly serve our community in any way. A simple form delivered to each household and organisation should give us a vast amount of data. On one dedicated and specific day we will also ask everyone to record how they spent their day. This, together with a photographic record of events and occasions during 2010 should give us a fantastic record of life in the Sibfords in 2010. But we can only do it with your help.

PLEASE BE A PART OF DOMESDAY 2010