Page 1106 - Reading Mercury

Wokingham went back to its roots on Saturday when town Mayor Marion
Fergusson Kelly presented the Mayor’s Exhibition at the Town Hall.
Among the many historical delights on display was the charter allowing the town to
hold its Tuesday market, which dates from the thirteenth century. The old borough
council’s account books some going as far back as the 1850s were shown to the
public, along with photographs of former mayors, councillors and district events.
Mayor Marion said that the purpose of the exhibition is to show off the history of
Wokingham and to show people in the town the status it had originally. She said that
the town was steeped in history with distant connections which included some with
Queen Anne and Robert the Bruce, the first king of Scotland.
The Wokingham Society and the Twinning Association each had stands showing
their history and archives. Many of the old records and accounts had never been seen
before. They were only found after a search through archive stores. Among the
fascinating facts the records had uncovered was the information that Wokingham
Borough Council owned land in 1855 to the princely value of £72. The town’s wages
bill was just £21 17s. 8d. Traditional crafts like spinning and lace work were
demonstrated by local craft groups and press cuttings and old newspapers showed the
history of the town and its people.

Thur 28th May
I WILL MISS THE TOWN SAYS SIR BILL
The man who has done more to shape the development of Wokingham than any
other steps out of the limelight this month. Sir William van Straubenzee, Wokingham
MP for nearly twenty-eight years has retired from politics.
His decision not to stand for re-election marks the end of an era for Wokingham,
which has returned Sir to office eight times since 1959. And for Sir William, a man
who says he married his job, the thing he will miss most will be his contact with the
town and its people.
The 63-year-old solicitor was first elected to Parliament in 1959. Then his
constituency stretched from Reading Cemetery Junction to Ascot race course and
included Bracknell. Berkshire was a small place when he was first elected and
Wokingham was no more than a market town. Most of the people were farmers and
the greater part of the landscape was open fields. As development changed Sir
William found his role as MP changing with it. In 1963 the constituency was split and
Bracknell was taken out to become part of East Berks. The Wokingham constituency
was limited to the town and surrounding areas.
Sir William saw himself as a rare breed in politics as he is one of the few members
who refused to give up all financial independence and become a full time MP. He
practices as a partner in a firm of solicitors in London. His reason for keeping his
independent income was simple. Other people have to do things. Other people have to
have a skill or a trade or a profession and they don’t want full time MPs.
During the Edward Heath government of 1970 to 1972 Sir William held the office
of joint Parliamentary Under Secretary State for Education. It was in this ministerial
role that he worked closely with an education secretary who broke the sound barrier
for women in politics—none other than the present Prime Minister Margaret
Thatcher.
Between 1972 and 1974 Sir William faced perhaps the toughest job of his
parliamentary career—that of Minister of State for Northern Ireland at the height of
the troubles. During these years he became engulfed in a shroud of security.

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