William Iveson Croome

A collection of the papers and correspondence of William Croome. It is assumed that the material that comprises this collection was selected by Judith Scott of the Council for the Care of Churches from amongst Croome's personal papers after his death (see Acquisition note below). The papers had been sorted into categories and some notes and annotations added, presumably by Judith Scott.

William Iveson Croome was born in 1891 at Cerney House, Gloucestershire. During the First World War he served as Registrar of Wounded at the 2nd Southern General Hospital and after graduating from Oxford he went on to hold a number of appointments, reflecting a wide range of interests. These involved health, as a Governor and later Chairman of the governing body of Barnwood, a private mental hospital; and rehabilitation of young offenders - he was both Chairman of the County Probation Committee and the Chairman of Managers at the Cotswold School. He also served as a member of the Gloucestershire judiciary for over forty years, latterly as Chairman of the Cirencester Bench until his retirement in 1966.

Croome had a lifelong interest in the care and conservation of church buildings. As churchwarden, altar server and sacristan at North Cerney Church he was a key figure in the life of the church and the maintenance of the fabric and interior of the building. He served on various diocesan advisory committees and in 1950 took on the role of Vice-Chairman of the Central Council of the Diocesan Advisory Committees. He served on the Wall Paintings Committee of the Council for the Care of Churches (CCC), was the Vice-Chair of the CCC, and the Chairman of the Cathedrals Advisory Committee.

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One box of material relating to William Croome was transferred to the Church of England Record Centre from the Cathedrals and Church Buildings Library in 2016. A letter inside the box dated 2nd June 1967 addressed to Judith Scott from Lloyds Bank Executor and Trustee Department states that in his will Croome expressed a wish that any of his papers and correspondence not selected by the Council for the Care of Churches should be offered to Gloucestershire Record Office [see file ref. WIC/1/4]. It is assumed, therefore, that the box transferred to the Record Centre is that material selected by Judith Scott, Chair of the Council for the Care of Churches, for preservation by the Council.

Previously part of the holdings of the Catherdal and Church Buildings Library.