Newsletter (Autumn / Winter 2018)

Members of the Essex Society for Archaeology and History will be receiving the latest copy of the Newsletter (NL187).  Also circulated is the programme for 2019.  Included in this issue:

- From The President, Nigel Brown

- Could you be our new Programme Secretary?

- Or our new Excursions Secretary?

- From the Past President

- Hon. Membership Secretary's Notice: Subscriptions due for 2019

- ESAH Library. Access and Revised Opening Times

- Making a Case for The Historic Environment

- Early Bronze Age Gold 'Diadem'

- The Manor of Hacflet in Bradwell: a Reappraisal

- Kemp's Nine Daies Wonder

- Via Devana in the Parish of Ridgewell

- James Parnell

- Ezekiel Culverwell and the Living of Great Stambridge

- Wars and Rumours of Wars

- Leprosy in Saxon Chesterford

- Historic Stow Maries Boosts Flight Movements to 3000

- Bulmer Brick and Tile Wins Angel Award '18

- Council for British Archaeology Asks for Input

- Awards for Essex Journal and Saffron Walden Historical Journal

- Essex Seen From Elsewhere

- Book Reviews 

Victoria County History Appeal

Victoria County History of Essex Trust 

President The Lord Petre KCVO JP MA Chaim/air, Geoffrey Hare OBE 

Please reply to the Chairman: Geoffrey Hare OBE 15 Colvin Close, Lexden Colchester, Essex CO3 4BS email: geoffrey.hare28   @  gmall.com 

Dear Supporter 

15 November 2018 

I am writing to update you on the progress of our publication programme and, more particularly, concerning the deteriorating state of our financial position. This is, therefore, both a letter of information and a plea for help to ensure the future of the VCH in Essex. In regard to the programme, Part 1 of Volume XII (St Osyth to the Naze. North-East Essex Coastal Parishes) is with the printer for publication during 2019; Part 2 (the Sokens: Kirby-le-Soken, Thorpe-le-Soken and Walton-le-Soken) is completed and ready to join the queue for publication of many 'Red Books' in train from other counties. The completed and reviewed 'Short', Nineteenth-Century Harwich, Dovercourt and Parkeston is also in the press. From the perspective of VCH Essex, the years since the 2011 Appeal which launched this sequence of publications have been extremely productive. To have produced the highly-praised Volume XI on the North-East Essex Seaside Resorts of Clacton, Walton and Frinton, the two parts of Volume XII, the Shorts for Newport and Harwich, plus substantial progress on a Southend Short, is remarkable. That this has been achieved within the reduced time allowed to our Editors, is a tribute to their dedication and to that of the volunteers. 

The next Red Book, Volume XIII, will be a complete history of the internationally important Essex town, port and resort of Harwich and Dovercourt, from Prehistory, through the Middle Ages, to the 20th century. Most of the work on the 19th century has been completed and the Editors are currently researching the Medieval and Tudor periods. It is, therefore, very appropriate that we should once again invite you to join us at Harwich. For your diary, please note that the Annual General Meeting of the VCH Essex Trust will be held on Saturday, 27th April 2019 at the 1912 Centre, Cow Dune, Harwich, commencing at 2pm, and we hope that many of you will be able to join us there. Full details will be sent to you in March.  But! We are approaching a major crisis in that we now have only a few months of funding remaining. Subscriptions from our loyal supporters have diminished and we must now seek more substantial resources by launching a new Appeal at. the forthcoming AGM. 

Grant applications and a proposal to the Heritage Lottery Fund are already being prepared to support elements of Volume XIII on Harwich. This is truly a make-or-break time for VCH Essex and we ask our supporters not only for personal help but to assist in more widely publicising the cause of VCH Essex and its unique, irreplaceable programme for the study of the history of our county. 

sincerely 

Geoffrey Hare

Registered Charity No. 1038801 

Armistice

Laurence Binyon, war poet, has a local connection in that he grew up in Chelmsford before the War.  He was the son of Frederick Binyon, curate of St Mary’s Church Chelmsford.  We end this talk with these words:

“They went with songs to the battle, they were young

Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow,

They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted

They fell with their faces to the foe.

“They shall not grow old, as we are left to grow old,

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.”

One Hundred Years On. The Eleventh Hour, of the Eleventh Day of the Eleventh Month.

Blackmore Area Local History: Blackmore. Remembrance 100. 'For King and Country:...

Blackmore Area Local History: Blackmore. Remembrance 100. 'For King and Country:...: The book goes on sale following the talk. Free entry. Donations welcomed for the Royal British Legion.

Blackmore. Poppy Trail and Display. Floral Tributes etc

The congregation of the Priory Church of St Laurence, Blackmore, has mounted a poppy trail and display in its churchyard attracting several visitors to reflect and remember the end of the First World War a century ago.  A Poppy Trail leads the visitor to the graves of five people: four associated with the First World War, and one associated with the Second World War. There is War Poetry and a 'Here but Not Here' figure where visitors are asked to consider what life was like when one in five men who went to war never returned. The Poppy Trail and Display can be seen and experienced in daylight hours until 21 November 2018.

From Thursday 8 November to Tuesday 13 November, the church interior will host a number of floral tributes on First World War themes.  Donations are in aid of the Royal British Legion.  At each hour the church is open from Thursday to Saturday, the bells will be rung / tolled and on Sunday the congregation will participate in 'Battles Over' by chiming the bells at 12.30pm and 7pm.

Below are some photographs.  Do come and see.

Harlow New Town commemorates 127 men who died in First World War.

Pleased to take a short time out from the office to read a tribute to Alfred Edgar Seymour who was killed in 1917 and remembered on the Old Harlow War Memorial. He was one of 127 in the now Harlow New Town area to be commemorated in film. I will voice-over the place where his parents lived: Bury Road. One man will be remembered daily commencing 11 November. https://www.harlow.gov.uk/sites/harlow-cms/files/files/documents/files/WW1%20Booklet%202018%20FINAL.pdf

Essex Industrial Archaeology Group AGM & Study Day. Saturday 10 November 2018

ESSEX INDUSTRIAL ARCHAEOLOGY GROUP

A Sub-Group of the Essex Society for Archaeology and History          

Email address: essexiag@gmail.com

ESSEX INDUSTRIAL ARCHAEOLOGY GROUP ANNUAL MEETING AND STUDY DAY

Saturday 10^th November 2018

from: 11 am to 3.30pm

at: Colne Valley Railway, Yeldham Road,

Castle Hedingham CO9 3DZ

FREE ADMISSION

Programme for the day

10.30 to 10.50am: Arrival and booking in.

11 am: Welcome by Tony Crosby, Chairman of Essex                                                     Industrial Archaeology Group followed by Annual Meeting

11.30am: A talk about the historical context of the former Colne Valley and Halstead Railway by Paul Lemon

11.50am: A talk about the various industries along the route of the former Colne Valley and Halstead Railway during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries by Adrian Corder-Birch

12.10pm: The history of the preserved Colne Valley Railway by Nick Ellis

12.30pm: The vision for the future of the Colne Valley Railway Preservation site and museum by Paul Lemon and Nick Ellis

1 to 2pm: Lunch – Light refreshments are available on site including tea, coffee, soft drinks and biscuits, but otherwise members are invited to bring picnics.

2 to 3.15pm: Tour of the site to be led by Nick Ellis with train ride on Diesel Multiple Unit by Paul Lemon

3.30pm: Members are requested to leave the site by 3.30pm please

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, Chelmsford City Council, Unitary, Borough and District Councils, amenity groups and others with an interest in Essex’s industrial past.

'We Will Remember'. Toot Hill Village Hall. Thursday 22 November 2018 8pm

The High Country History Group commemorates the centenary of the end of the First World War with a talk to be given by Martyn Lockwood, its Chairman, entitled 'We Will Remember' at Toot Hill Village Hall at 8pm on Thursday 22 November 2018.  Admission £3 (Members £2) includes wine and mince pies. 

Remembering the end of the First World War. Essex Record Office. Saturday 10 November 2018. 12.00-3.30pm

Great Waltham War Memorial Website Launched

Please visit the new website about the men from Great Waltham and surrounding areas who died in World War One and are remembered on the War Memorial. This is an ongoing project and anyone with further information are welcome to comment on the website.

Taken from Facebook.

'Remembrance 100' Community Commemoration. Priory Church of St Laurence, Blackmore. 1-21 November 2018

Remembrance 100 – Blackmore, Hook End and Wyatts Green

In August of 2017 parishioner Jenny Dodd suggested that we mark 100 Years since the Armistice by covering the porch of St Laurence Church, Blackmore, with knitted poppies made by members of the community in Blackmore, Hook End and Wyatts Green. She was hopeful that people would knit a few each and if we were lucky we would get around 1500 or maybe even 2000!

Remembrance Sunday still seems to resonate with the majority of people and the project has evolved. It has captured the imagination, not only of local people and groups, but also people from Spain, Canada and New Zealand who have been knitting poppies for this significant event.

From the 1^st of November until the 21^st over 6250 knitted poppies along with a further 1000 poppies made from plastic bottle bottoms will be displayed on the church and in the churchyard. A ‘Poppy Trail’, around areas of the churchyard, will evoke emotion as people journey around a moving and informative experience. Along the trail there will be information points with facts and background material relating to the First World War, the British Legion and the significance of the poppy along with moving poems both old and new. The trail will visit the graves of local people who died in, or as a result of, the war. The final two stops on the trail will allow people to reflect on the scale and enormity of the sacrifice made by millions of service people worldwide and those of the local community.

From the 8^th November until the 13^th, floral tributes sponsored by local people, groups and businesses will be on display inside the church. Created by local people, these will pay tribute to individuals, and depict scenes and aspects of the war.

On the 9^th of November at 7.30 in the evening a talk ‘For King & Country: Blackmore during the First World War’ will be given in St Laurence church.

There will also be an act of remembrance at Our sister church, St. Peter & St. Paul’s Stondon Massey on Saturday 10^th November at 5:30pm which will be a chance to reflect on the 100 years since the armistice with music, poetry and art.

 

All events are free but any donations will be given to the Royal British Legion.

Our key aims for this Remembrance 100 event are to remember those who have given their lives in the first world war and all subsequent wars, to highlight the works of the British Legion and raise money for their continued work and to help everyone to understand the enormity of the sacrifices made and continue to be made to preserve our way of life today.

The scale of the cost of human life in the First World War is astounding. Coupled with those who suffered life changing injuries and the suffering of the families, friends and indeed sometimes whole communities this is something that we should all remember and reflect upon. Wars have not ceased and these sufferings continue. Our service men and women risk their lives on a daily basis often in peace keeping roles in other countries. We owe them and all who have served before them a great debt for our freedom and the way of life we enjoy in our country.

There is no cost to remember. The price has already been paid. At the going down of sun and in the morning we will remember them.

ESAH Objection to Colchester Borough Council re. Planning Application 182120 Land at Queen Street, Colchester

The Essex Society for Archaeology & History 

FORMERLY THE ESSEX ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY FOUNDED 1852 

Mr. Alistair Day, Planning Department, Colchester Borough Council, Rowan House, 33 Sheepen Road, Colchester, CO3 3WG 

19th October 2018 

Dear Mr Day, 

PLANNING APPLICATION 182120: Land at Queen Street, Colchester 

I write as immediate past President of the Essex Society for Archaeology & History (ESAH), which is the County's longest established heritage organisation (founded in 1852). 

The ESAH Council has seen a copy of the objections to this application written on behalf of Colchester Archaeological Group (CAG) by Mr Davies (on the CBC Planning website, 26th September 2018). 

The application site is in a place of the highest archaeological sensitivity, within the Roman town and so close to the Roman rampart and wall. 

While we acknowledge that there are policies and procedures which can minimise the threat to the buried and standing heritage caused by development, we nevertheless feel that the proposed scheme carries a real threat to the buried archaeological heritage of Colchester. 

In summary, ESAH fully supports the CAG objections to this application, in which the issues are clearly and succinctly expressed. 

Yours sincerely, 

Adrian Corder-Birch 

Past President Essex Society for Archaeology and History 

Essex Society for Family History. Open Day. Galleywood Heritage Centre. 20 October 2018

The Essex Society for Archaeology and History will be at the ESFH Open Day at Galleywood tomorrow.  Information here: https://www.esfh.org.uk/events/ESFH%20Open%20Day%20at%20Galleywood%20Heritage%20Centre-449.html

History Talk in All Saints' Church, Doddinghurst, on Remembrance Sunday

As I am sure you are all aware, Sunday, November 11^th, 2018, will be 100 years to the day since the end of the First World War.

At 10.15 there will a Service of Remembrance in the church, followed by two minutes silence round the War Memorial at 11 o’clock and in the afternoon there will be a talk about how the war affected the people in and around Doddinghurst. Of course, the village was a much smaller place then, even though the parish included what is now Fox Hatch. Between 1911 and 2011 the population increased from 371 to 2,832. For those 371 men, women and children there was much hardship between 1914 and 1918 and I have unearthed stories about individuals which are truly heart breaking. There are 10 names inscribed on the War Memorial, some of which are also inscribed on the Blackmore War Memorial, as they lived on the parish border or their families were involved in both villages.  Many more returned from the front. How had their lives changed? And what about the families who were left behind? What was life like for them?

It is important that we remember and recognise the great sacrifices made by our forebears. I do hope you will be able to come to ‘Bombs and Brothers, Raids and Rationing’. There will be a slide show to illustrate and enhance the talk.  It takes place in the church at 2.30 and tea and homemade cake will be served afterwards in Priest House, right next to the War Memorial. The cost is £4, payable at the door, and all proceeds will go towards the upkeep of our ancient village church.

Blackmore Area Local History: Blackmore: Armistice Centenary Commemoration

Blackmore Area Local History: Blackmore: Armistice Centenary Commemoration: Members of the congregation at St Laurence, Blackmore began work today putting the many knitted poppies onto wire frames.  The Church will be open to view the Remembrance Displays from Thursday 8 November to Tuesday 13 November. Times daily 10.30am – 4pm except Sunday, 12.30 - 4.00pm, and Tuesday 10.30am – 12.30pm.

ESAH Annual Symposium: Programme of Speakers and Topics

Essex Society for Archaeology & History

Archaeology and Local History Symposium

Time Table for the Day

Saturday 3^rd November 2018 10am – 4.30pm

Christ Church URC New London Road Chelmsford

10am – Registration

10.15am Chairman’s opening remarks

10.20am – Stephen Norris – Chelmsford Poor Law Union

11am – Refreshments

11.30am – Rachel Clarke – Beautiful Place! Investigating the Landscape of Henry Vlll’s Palace at Beaulieu in Chelmsford.

12.10pm – Adam Wightman – Fenwick Treasure

 12.50pm – Lunch

2.00pm –Jane Pearson- Doctors and Coroners in 19th Century Colchester

2.40pm – Neil Wiffen – The Home Guard in Essex revisited

 3.20pm – Refreshments

3.50pm – Andrew Smith – More Essex Churches then & now

4.30pm – Chairman’s closing remarks

ESAH Symposium to be held Saturday 3 November 2018: Booking Form

ESSEX SOCIETY FOR ARCHAEOLOGY AND HISTORY

ARCHAEOLOGY AND HISTORY SYMPOSIUM BOOKING FORM

Please notify the bookings secretary, Dr Graham Gould, of your intention to attend an event at least 10 days before its date. Enquiries about availability of places may be made by telephone (020 8556 1423) or email (DrGEGould  at aol.com). Leave message on answerphone/voicemail if no answer.

To save costs (both members’ and the Society’s) it is no longer necessary to send stamped addressed envelopes for a response, UNLESS YOU REQUIRE DIRECTIONS TO AN EVENT. In this case please send s.a.e.s with your payment if you do not wish to receive these by email.

If booking by post please attach your payments to this page and send to Dr Graham Gould, 16 Osborne Road, Leyton, London, E10 5QW, with the number of places required clearly indicated. Keep a copy for your own records.

Name(s)                       ______________________________

Address                       _______________________________________________________

Telephone                    _____________________

Email                           _____________________

ESAH Archaeology and History Symposium Saturday 3^rd November 2018 10am-4.30pm

Cost £10.00 pp, including lunch and refreshments

No of attendees: - ____              

The Society can accept no liability for loss or injury sustained by anyone attending any Symposiums and are asked to take care when visiting old buildings or sites and to alert others to any obvious risks.  Please respect the privacy of those who invite us into their homes.

ESAH Annual Symposium: Saturday 3 November 2018

Essex Society for Archaeology & History

History & Archaeology Symposium

Saturday 3^rd November 2018

10am to 4.30pm

Christ Church URC  New London Road Chelmsford essex

The Essex Society for Archaeology and History welcomes you to the 2018 History and Archaeology Symposium.

The day will be split with the morning session devoted to three talks with an Industrial/Archaeology theme, and the afternoon session devoted to three talks with a History theme. The cost is £10.00 per person, which includes mid-morning and mid-afternoon refreshments as well as a buffet lunch. Book your place now to avoid disappointment.  (Form to follow on blog)

 Stephen Norris – Chelmsford Poor Law Union

Rachel Clarke – Investigating the Landscape of Henry Vlll’s Palace at Beaulieu

Adam Wightman – Fenwick Treasure

Jane Pearson- Doctors and Coroners in 19^th C Colchester

Neil Wiffen – The Home Guard in Essex Revisited.

Andrew Smith – More Essex Churches then & now

To book contact Dr Graham Gould at drgegould  [AT}  aol.com 02085561423

Blackmore: Centenary Commemoration to include History Talk

For King and Country: Blackmore during the First World War

Sunday 11 November 2018 will be a significant day in the life of this country because it marks 100 years since the end of the First World War.  At 11 o’clock that day millions of people will pause, stand around local War Memorials, to remember the cessation of hostilities in which over 888,000 lives were lost.

Blackmore is commemorating the weekend with a remarkable and moving tribute by covering the exterior of the church and the path leading from the Lych Gate with thousands of poppies.  Something like 4000 poppies form the commemoration, which have been handmade by many volunteers.

The Church Flower Guild will also be providing a beautifully themed Flower Festival.  

Also in preparation is a talk about the life and times of the people of Blackmore during the First World War.  The talk will be held on Friday 9 November.  It will be free, followed by tea and coffee.  There is will a retiring collection.

The Church will be open to view the Remembrance Displays from Thursday 8 November to Tuesday 13 November. Times daily 10.30am – 4pm except Sunday, 12.30 - 4.00pm, and Tuesday 10.30am – 12.30pm.

The Remembrance Sunday service will begin, as usual, at 10.45am at the War Memorial continuing at The Priory Church of St Laurence after the observance of two minutes’ silence.

In commemoration of the centenary of the end of the First World War

For King and Country: Blackmore during the First World War

The Priory Church of St Laurence, Blackmore

Friday 9 November

7.30pm

A talk by local historian Andrew Smith

which will include photos and extracts from diaries, letters etc.

11 November 2018: The Centenary of the end of the First World War

Sunday 11 November 2018 marks the centenary of the end of the First World War.  It is a significant event in this country's history.  As local historians how will you be marking and commemorating this event where you live?  Do please contact us so that we can publicise your event.

Essex Local History Meetings: August to December 2018

Essex Local History Societies’ Meetings (August to December, 2018)

Thursday, 16^th August

Clacton and District Local History Society. 7.30 p.m. Pier Avenue Baptist Church, Clacton-on-Sea.

Vic Miller, “A green coat and a furry hat”: The Ladies of the WVS.

Wednesday, 5^th September

South Woodham Ferrers Local History Society. 8 p.m. Champions Manor Hall, 94 Hullbridge Road, South Woodham Ferrers.

Lord Petre, The History of the Petre Family.

Thursday, 6^th September

Hedingham Heritage Society.  7.45 p.m. The Memorial Hall, Castle Hedingham.

Richard Humphries, East Anglia and the Silk Industry.

Monday, 10^th September

Billericay Archaeological and Historical Society. 8 p.m. Venue?

Louise Reed, Fanny Kemble actress/anti-slave campaigner

Stebbing Local history Society. 8 p.m. Village Hall, Stebbing.

Claire Willetts, The History of Crittalls.

Tuesday, 11^th September.

Halstead and District Local History Society. 7.30 p.m. Baptist Church, Hedingham Road.

Richard Thomas, “The Royal Gunpowder Mills”.

Wednesday, 12^th September

Elsenham Village History Society. 8 p.m. Elsenham Memorial Hall.

Terry Ward, “Station to Station”: A look at the Cambridge Main Line to Bishop’s Stortford.

Thursday, 13^th September

Rayleigh Town Museum. 7.30pm

David Williams, Slavery and the City.

Wednesday, 19^th September

Leyton and Leytonstone Local History Society. 7.45 p.m. St John’s Church, corner of Leyton High Road and Church Lane.

Neil Houghton, Competitive Church Buildings, the Anglican Church.

Thursday, 20^th September

Clacton and District Local History Society. 7.30 p.m. Pier Avenue Baptist Church, Clacton-on-Sea.

Simon Gallup, “Unknown Constable Country”.

Halstead and District Local History Society. 7.30 p.m. Baptist Church, Hedingham Road.

Nick Sign, Servants in Suffolk Country Houses c.1700 to c.1900.

Newport Local History Group. 8 p.m. Church House, Newport

Peter Minton, Bulmer Bricklands.

Friday, 21^st September

Waltham Abbey Historical Society. 8 p.m. Baptist Church, Paradise Road, Waltham Abbey.

Helen Gibson, The Templars and their barns: Cressing Temple.

Wednesday, 26^th September

Saffron Walden Historical Society. 7.45 p.m. Friends’ Meeting House, High Street, Saffron Walden.

Andrew Everett, An Early Railway Station Architect – the Life, Times and Works of Sancton Wood 1814-1886.

Saturday, 29^th September

Historical Association (Essex branch). 2.30 p.m. Trinity Methodist Church, Rainsford Road, Chelmsford.

Vic Gray, Building Utopia in Purleigh; the rise and fall of a late-Victorian dream.

Tuesday, 2^nd October

Jaywick Local History Society. 7 p.m. Golf Green Hall

Simon Gallup, Lavenham, Dedham and the cloth trade.

Wednesday, 3^rd October.

South Woodham Ferrers Local History Society. 8 p.m. Champions Manor Hall, 94 Hullbridge Road, South Woodham Ferrers.

Charlotte Harding, Braintree silk-making and the families who worked at Warner Textiles

Monday, 8^th October

Billericay Archaeological and Historical Society. 8 p.m. Venue ?

Gary Egerton, The History of Colchester

Thursday, 11^th October

Rayleigh Town Museum. 7.30pm

Ted Woodgate, Rayleigh Rural Radicalism in the nineteenth-century.

Tuesday, 16^th October

Fordham Local History Society. 7.30 p.m. (?) in the Village Hall

Wendy Shepherd, ‘Women your country needs you’.

Wednesday, 17^th October.

Leyton and Leytonstone Local History Society. 7.45 p.m. St Mary’s parish church hall, Lindley Road.

Carol Harris, Safety and Numbers.

Thursday, 18^th October

Chingford Historical Society. 7.30 p.m. St Peter and St Paul Church, Chingford Green.

Neil Houghton, Gunpowder Paper and Leather: the Story of Chingford and Walthamstow Water Mills.

Clacton and District Local History Society. 7.30 p.m. Pier Avenue Baptist Church, Clacton-on-Sea.

Norman Jacobs, “Nora Timmens”

Halstead and District Local History Society. 7.30 p.m. Baptist Church, Hedingham Road.

Phil Lyons, The Wild West goes East.

Newport Local History Group. 8 p.m. Church House, Newport

Mark Bills, Gainsborough House, Sudbury.

Friday, 19^th October

Waltham Abbey Historical Society. 8 p.m. Baptist Church, Paradise Road, Waltham Abbey.

David Stevenson, The Road to 11^th November, 1918: How the First World War was ended.

Wednesday, 24^th October

Saffron Walden Historical Society. 7.45 p.m. Friends’ Meeting House, High Street, Saffron Walden.

Malcolm White, Saffron Walden 1945-2000.

Saturday, 27^th October

Historical Association (Essex branch). 2.30 p.m. Trinity Methodist Church, Rainsford Road, Chelmsford.

Catherine Fletcher, The Divorce of Henry VIII: an untold story from inside the Vatican.

Wednesday, 7^th November

South Woodham Ferrers Local History Society. 8 p.m. Champions Manor Hall, 94 Hullbridge Road, South Woodham Ferrers.

Roger Johnson, ‘The Murder at Moat Farm’.

Monday, 12^th November

Billericay Archaeological and Historical Society. 8 p.m. Venue ?

Steve Newman, Metal Detecting. Part 2.

Stebbing Local history Society. 8 p.m. Village Hall, Stebbing.

Peter Layzell, The Essex Regiment in the First World War.

Thursday, 15^th November

Clacton and District Local History Society. 7.30 p.m. Pier Avenue Baptist Church, Clacton-on-Sea.

Francis Boardman, “Suffragettes: a Media War”.

Halstead and District Local History Society. 7.30 p.m. Baptist Church, Hedingham Road.

David Austin, The Vikings.

Friday, 16^th November

Waltham Abbey Historical Society. 8 p.m. Baptist Church, Paradise Road, Waltham Abbey.

James Lewis, The Great Stink and a Little Bit more.

Tuesday, 20^th November

Takeley Local History Society. 6 p.m. Roseacres Primary School.

Bob Ogley, The Great Storm of 1987.

Wednesday, 21^st November

Leyton and Leytonstone Local History Society. 7.45 p.m. Leyton 6^th Form College (Room HE4), Essex Road, Leyton.

David Boote, The Home Front in Leyton and Leytonstone 1939-1945.

Thursday, 22^nd November

Newport Local History Group. 8 p.m. Church House, Newport

Ken Worpole, We are not afraid of the Future: Communitarian settlements in Essex 1880-2018.

Wednesday, 28^th November

Saffron Walden Historical Society. 7.45 p.m. Friends’ Meeting House, High Street, Saffron Walden.

Clare Mulley, The Women who flew for Hitler.

Saturday, 1^st December

Historical Association (Essex branch). 2.30 p.m. Trinity Methodist Church, Rainsford Road, Chelmsford.

Joanna Story, Treasures from the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms.

Monday, 10^th December

Billericay Archaeological and Historical Society. 8 p.m. Venue?

Anita Maria Sackett, Victorian Christmas – Pagan Origins.

Thursday, 13^th December

Chingford Historical Society. 7.30 p.m. St Peter and St Paul Church, Chingford Green.

Morna Daniels, The Origins of Fairy Tales.

With thanks to Christopher Thompson for preparing this list.