.

Sunday 30 August 2015

Essex Industrial Heritage Fair. Braintree Museum. Saturday 10 October 2015.

Final details of this special event are now available.  This promises to be an interesting day.



ESSEX INDUSTRIAL ARCHAEOLOGY GROUP
A Sub-Group of the Essex Society for Archaeology and History
Email address: essexiag [at] gmail.com
INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE FAIR
Saturday 10th October 2015
from: 10 am to 4 pm
at: Braintree District Museum, Manor Street, Braintree, Essex CM7 3HW

Programme for the day
11am Welcome by Tony Crosby, Chairman of Essex Industrial Archaeology Group
followed by: The Official opening of the Industrial Heritage Fair by The Lord Petre, J.P., H.M. Lord Lieutenant of Essex, Patron of Essex Society for Archaeology and History

A series of 20 minute talks will take place today in the Courtauld Gallery at the Town Hall (directly opposite the Museum). These talks will start promptly at the times listed below and visitors are requested to make their way to the Town Hall where they will be directed to the Courtauld Gallery.
11.30am Bays and Says by David Morgans
12.00pm Silk Industry of Braintree by Charlotte Harding
12.30pm Public Supply Industry, Colchester by Brian Light
1.00pm 'Not just Flora' unusual industrial aspects of Thurrock by Jonathan Catton
1.30pm European Route for Industrial Heritage by Jonathan Lloyd

Organisations at the Industrial Heritage Fair
Association for Industrial Archaeology
Braintree and Bocking Civic Society
Balkerne Tower Trust, Colchester
Brightlingsea Museum
British Water Tower Appreciation Society
Bulmer Brick and Tile Company Limited
Colne Valley Railway Preservation Society
East Anglian Railway Museum
Epping Ongar Railway Volunteer Society
Essex Fire Museum
Essex Industrial Archaeology Group
Essex Society for Archaeology and History
European Route for Industrial Heritage
Friends of Alderford Mill, Sible Hedingham
Friends of Upminster Windmill
Great Dunmow Maltings Preservation Trust Limited
Halstead and District Local History Society and Halstead Heritage Museum
Halstead 21st Century Group
Marconi Heritage Group
Rippers Limited, former Joinery Manufacturers of Castle and Sible Hedingham
Sandford Mill Museum, Chelmsford Museums
Silver End Heritage Society
(Several of the above organisations will have publications for sale).

Braintree District Museum is open to the public, but please note, access to the Museum is through their main door and there will be an entrance fee. Refreshments are available at R & T's Café adjoining the Museum.
If you wish to visit local Industrial Heritage sites today 'Braintree Town Trail' maps are available, free of charge, from the EIAG stand.


The Essex Industrial Archaeology Group (EIAG) is a sub-group of the Essex Society for Archaeology and History (ESAH) and was established to provide a way forward for industrial archaeology in Essex, which previously lacked a society dedicated to Essex Industrial Heritage. The aims of the group are to research and record industries in Essex and their sites; publish reports on the work of the Group; Initiate and support the preservation of important industrial sites, buildings, artefacts and records; organise talks and visits to the many archaeology and heritage sites in Essex, and to work in partnership with Essex County Council, District Councils, amenity groups and others with an interest in Essex's industrial past.

Saturday 29 August 2015

Historypin | Sturmer History

Sturmer History

We are collecting an ongoing archive of the history of Sturmer, Essex - a small village on the border of Suffolk and Essex near to Haverhill. We were awarded a grant from the All Our Stories Heritage Lottery Fund and have created a heritage trail. We celebrated it with an exhibition and reinactments of the Victorian classroom. We conducted oral history interviews, house histories and museum visits for school children. Our Victorian classroom and handling sessions are continuing. We have also undertaken some new self-funded projects e.g. WW1; medieval graffiti

Find out more at: www.sturmerhistory.com



Historypin | Sturmer History

Sunday 23 August 2015

Essex Dove Houses (5)

 High House Dovecote

Dovecotes were used as a source of food – meat and eggs – as well as dung.  A number of examples remain in Essex. This one at High House, Purfleet, dating from the late seventeenth century retains its nest boxes as well as the revolving ladder called a portence.


It was photographed when the Essex Society for Archaeology and History visited High House in September 2014.

Wednesday 19 August 2015

Nine Hundred Years of Architecture. Lectures at Great Braxted Church, Saturday 31 October 2015

Four local historians, many of them members of the Essex Society for Archaeology and History, will be giving a series of lectures at Great Braxted Church on 31 October 2015.  

The details:
All Saints' Church, Great Braxted, Essex. 
900 years of Architecture. 
Saturday 31st October 2015 
9.45am start to 3.30pm finish At the church 

An interesting day of five illustrated lectures exploring the church and its history. The following subjects will be covered. 
1. Materials used in the building. Dr David Andrews 
2. From tree to church - timber conversion. Elphin Watkin 
3. Dating timber constructions. Dr Martin Bridge 
4. The development of the building. Dr David Andrews 
5. The work of the Revd Ernest Geldart. Dr James Bettley. 

Each lecture will be about 45 minutes in duration. 

A snack lunch will be provided. Admission is free but donations will be invited on the day for the support of the church. 

This day will be of interest to members of this and other churches, those  interested in church architecture and historic buildings in general as all the lecturers are specialists in their chosen fields. 

To help us cater for numbers please book your place by contacting: Ken Hornett on hornettk [at] hotmail.com or Mike Puttick on michaelputtick [at] btinternet.com  

Tuesday 18 August 2015

Colchester Castle Summer Flash Sale! - Colchester & Ipswich Museums

From Monday 17 August to Monday 31 August 2015, 5pm, Colchester Museum has reduced its admission prices by up to 26%. For more go to:  Colchester Castle Summer Flash Sale! - Colchester & Ipswich Museums

Sunday 16 August 2015

Essex Dove Houses (4)

Recent references to dovecotes in Essex Archaeology and History
dovecotes
   Fingringhoe  35.240, 241–2, 241. Shorter note on ‘A tower at Fingringhoe’ by John McCann, “175 metres south-east of Fingringhoe Hall”. The item includes the illustration from Smith (1931).
   Fyfield  37.161: at Fyfield Hall Barns, “the earliest buildings are a Grade II listed early-mid 16th century dovecote that was converted to a granary in the 17th century”
   Halstead  38.180
   Little Braxted  31.219; 37.103, 107: ‘A medieval detached kitchen at Little Braxted Hall’ by Bond, Walker and Andrews, mentions later use as a dovecote.
   Monument Protection Programme  31.201, 201, 202.
   Newport  38.182–3: mention of later 18th century dovecote at Shortgrove Hall Farm – “were as much ornamental as an actual source of food”
   Saffron Walden  35.161: Dovecote at St Aylotts proved undateable in dendrochronology
   South Weald  38.186
   survey  34.221
   Wenden Lofts  31.201, 201, 202 Within item on ‘Monumental Protection Programme’ are two illustrations of the dovecote at Wendon Lofts “which has exceptional preservation of internal features, including a fine array of wooden nest boxes”.
   West Thurrock  40.55


Friday 14 August 2015

Thursday 13 August 2015

Next Visit. New Hall, Boreham: Saturday 22 August 2015

Saturday 22nd August 2pm New Hall School Chelmsford. Talk and Tour of this former Tudor Palace of Henry Vlll by Tony Tuckwell, including refreshments. Cost £5.00 in advance £6.00 on the day. For members of the Essex Society for Archaeology and History only.

Tuesday 11 August 2015

1000th Blog Entry

The Essex Society for Archaeology and History reaches a small milestone today with this, its 1000th blog entry. Since its launch in November 2012 we have had over 66000 page views, which means that every entry has received an average 66 hits. Our coverage has been diverse: the contents list of our own Transactions a priority, our archives, news and events from across the county of Essex, and in support of other organisations. We have hosted book sales on the web and attended book sales at Essex Record Office conferences. Our new website is still at planning stage and looks to be a big project. Thank you to all our readers. 

Monday 10 August 2015

Archaeological Open Day at Edwins Hall, Woodham Ferrers. Maldon Archaeological & Historical Group. Saturday 5 September 2015

ARCHAEOLOGICAL OPEN DAY AT
EDWINS HALL
EDWINS HALL ROAD, WOODHAM FERRERS 
CM3 8RX

ON SEPTEMBER 5TH
10 A.M. – 4 P.M.
MEET THE
MALDON ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL GROUP
AS THEY CONTINUE THE DIG AND ANSWER QUESTIONS ON THE FINDS AND EVIDENCE THEY HAVE COLLECTED THIS SEASON OF THE EARLIER MANOR HOUSE
ADMISSION FREE
HOME BAKING & REFRESHMENTS ON SALE IN AID OF ST. MARY’S CHURCH

LIMITED NUMBERS SO PLEASE CALL SHARON TO “RESERVE A VISIT”

01245 328480/07773644326

Sunday 9 August 2015

Essex Dove Houses (3)

In addition to the list of dovecotes in Smith’s book is the one at Berechurch Hall, featured in Essex Archaeology and History, Third Series Volume 25. Extract:
The dovecote of Berechurch Hall, Colchester
John McCann and Kenneth Robins
A roofless brick building formerly concealed by ivy has been identified as a dovecote. It was built in the Gothick style, probably in the early nineteenth century, and until recently retained evidence of a potence and nest-boxes of clay bats.

Donald Smith's major work 'Pigeon Cotes and Dove Houses of Essex', published in 1931, described and illustrated 59 examples in the county, all he could find after extensive .enquiries. Seven others came to his notice later, which he reported in Essex Review, volumes 42-4 (1933-5). Another dovecote has come to light more recently. A building south of Berechurch Hall Road, Colchester (TL 989 218) first came to the notice of D.F. Stenning about 1982, at which time it was unidentifiable owing to a thick growth of ivy. By 1991 the ivy had been removed, and the building became the subject of a planning application; Stenning then recognized it as a dovecote. …

Friday 7 August 2015

Book Review: 'England Arise' by Juliet Barker

England Arise. The People, The King & The Great Revolt of 1381. Juliet Barker. Little, Brown, 2014. ISBN 978-1-4087-0335-9. 506 pages, illustrated with references and index. £25 (hardback)


This is the first definitive history by a British writer of the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381.  But Juliet Barker does not refer to the events as being the Peasants’ Revolt, but more properly a Great Revolt or Rebellion which followed the imposition of an ever increasing Poll Tax which funded unsuccessful wars. Folklore figures which loom large such as Wat Tyler and John Balle are only part of the story.  This, of course, is a very Essex related book, being the county where the revolt perhaps originated. The author widens the story to give the full picture. 

Wednesday 5 August 2015

Friends of Historic Essex: Lectures on The Great War. 19 September 2015

FRIENDS OF HISTORIC ESSEX
Registered Charity No: 235270

 

AUTUMN LECTURE

Raising funds for the Essex Great War Archive Project


SATURDAY 19th SEPTEMBER 2015
2.00 – 4.30pm

Chelmsford Museum, Oaklands Park, Moulsham Street, Chelmsford, CM2 9AQ

Level access.  Lift to first floor.  Free parking for the first three hours.

£5 per person including tea/coffee.
  

The Great War Hospitals of Southend and the work of the local VADs
Southend was one of the largest providers of auxiliary hospital beds during the Great War in Essex, with over 600. These were divided between two hospitals and a Children’s Home, together with a recently opened convalescent home.  Ken Crowe will give a talk describing the work of these hospitals, their establishment and funding and the work of the local VADs, both Red Cross and St Johns.

The Human Face of the Great War

Western Front Association Essex Branch chairman Bill Fulton discusses, with illustrations, some of the human stories from the battlefields and on the home front, especially Essex, accompanied by a display of some original items from the War.   

For further information please contact Dr Christopher Thornton email c.c.thornton@btinternet.com


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friends of Historic Essex Autumn Lecture, Saturday 19th September 2015

Complete and return this form as soon as possible to ensure a place.  All are welcome to join us.

Please return to the Friends of Historic Essex, c/o The Essex Record Office, Wharf Road, Chelmsford, CM2 6YT

I require ………………….. tickets @ £5

I enclose a cheque for £ ……………… payable to ‘The Friends of Historic Essex’. You will be advised of receipt of admission fee by email or a telephone call if you do not have an email address.

Name …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….….

Email: ……………………………………………………………………………………          Tel: ........……

Friends of Historic Essex

Registered Charity No: 235270

Tuesday 4 August 2015

A Question about Essex Dialect


Dear Essex Society for Archaeology and History,


My name is Stephen Howe. I am an associate professor at a university in Japan but was born in East Anglia (in the Isle of Ely).



In spring, I gave a talk at Cambridge University on the words 'jearse' and 'dow' - emphatic words for 'yes' and 'no' - used in the Isle of Ely and some other parts of East Anglia. These words are not included in the Oxford English Dictionary; however, we still use ‘jearse’ and ‘dow’ in the Isle of Ely today.



I wonder whether it might be possible to ask you whether people in Essex know and use these words? I would be very interested to see how widespread they still are and how they are used. I am writing a book chapter on 'jearse' and 'dow' to be published next year.



If you are interested, I would like to know these questions:
- Do you say 'jearse' and 'dow'?
- How do you use them?
- Where do you live?



I have set up a web page where people can fill in information on 'jearse' and 'dow', if they wish. The page is at http://stephenhowe.info/survey/



I would be most grateful for any information you could give.



Yours sincerely,



Stephen Howe

Reply:

I have not encountered these terms myself and they are not recorded in Gepp's Essex Dialect Dictionary.  I shall post the web page on our Twitter account.


John Hayward, Secretary, ESAH




Monday 3 August 2015

The Colchester Archaeologist No. 27 (2013/14): Boudicca and the Buried Treasure

Out now in all good bookshops across Colchester, and free to members of the Friends of Colchester Archaeological Trust, is the 50 page colour booklet, 'Colchester Archaeologist', giving details of the remarkable finds during excavations at Williams and Griffins ("Willie Gees") in the High Street. Topics include: 
- The Fenwick Treasure: Dig Diary; "Steady as she goes!", reporting on how gold and silver items were conserved; The jewellery; and, Colchester and Boudicca's War of Independence, in which Philip Crummy put the excavation in context.
- an ancient monument at Colchester
- Castle Hedingham
- St Helena School 

Sunday 2 August 2015

Essex Dove Houses (2)

An Essex Dovecote Rediscovered
Taken from Essex Archaeology and History News, No. 104, December 1988

The cover of the August issue of the newsletter featured illustrations of two dovecotes, taken from Donald Smiths's Pigeon Houses and Dove Houses of Essex (1931). The following note describes a dovecote not featured in that work.

"When the Manning family lived in the old house on the moated site at Great Garnets,  there  being  six  daughters,  it was not uncommon to find lovers under the old  archway.  However,  it was not until  a  few  years  ago,  when  one  of Maurice  Gepp's  daughters  kindly  sent me a few old photographs of High Easter  district  taken  by  her  father,  that  I realised  there had  been  a lover in the archway  roof  as well! The photograph was taken in about 1890 and shows that the archway was formally used as a dovecote,   the   lover   (or   louvre)   being clearly visible. The archway still stands today, but the louvre has vanished, having been pulled down and the area tiled over. It is interesting to note that this archway is shown on a map of 1622 of High Easter, by the surveyor Samuel Walker1, with what appears to be a louvre in the roof. Since the R.C.H.M. (Vol 2, p129) does not mention the louvre in their report of the Great Garnets outbuildings, one would presume the louvre to have vanished before then. However, a detailed examination of the loft area above the archway could still confirm the evidence of the photograph."

1. British Library Add. M.S. 41848


Derek E. Bircher