Local History Societies' Meetings in Essex 2019

Local History Societies’ meetings in Essex 2019

With thanks to Christopher Thompson. 

Information accurate at time of publication

Billericay Archaeological and Historical Society

Our monthly meetings are held at The Fold, Arts Centre, located off Laindon Road, Billericay, where we meet on the second Monday of each month at 8:00 pm.

Monday 14th January	“Vicky English Princess & German Empress” Speaker Margaret Mills
Monday 11th February	“Brunell” Speaker Roger Manion
Monday 11th March	“Norfolk Wherry Maud Trust” Speaker Linda Pargeter
Monday 8th April	AGM 7.30pm followed by “Customs & Traditions of London” Speaker Mark Lewis
Monday 13th May	“Women in Medieval London” Speaker Caroline Baron
Monday 10th June	“Mesolithic Archaeology” Speaker Maria Medlecott
Monday 8th July	“New York, New York” Speaker Ann Hardy
No meeting in August
Monday 9th September	“The Titanic” Speaker Denis Lynch
Monday 14th October	“Early Policing in Billericay” Speaker Peter Layzel
Monday 11th November	“The Shakespeare Conspiracy” Speaker Julian Whybra
Monday 9th December	“A giant of the 19th century - Abraham Lincoln” Speaker Margaret Mills

Chingford Historical Society

Our meetings are held at SS Peter and Paul Church on The Green, North Chingford at 7.30.p.m. on the third Thursday of each month from October till April inclusive. Talks on local and general history are illustrated and there is an interval where tea and biscuits can be obtained.    Non-members are welcome to attend for a small fee payable at the door. 

No meetings are yet listed.

Clacton and District Local History Society at 7.30 P.M at Pier Avenue Baptist Church.

17TH JANUARY. NORMAN JACOBS. “CRACKED EGGS AND CHICKEN SOUP.”

21ST FEBRUARY. MALCOLM BATTY.  “THE KIRBY RIOTS”

21ST MARCH. GEORGE HARDWICK.  “WHAT IS NEW IN OUR ARCHIVE?”.

18TH APRIL. ROGER KENNELL.  “WHATEVER HAPPENED TO SOUTHCLIFF?”

16TH MAY. BILL SMITH.  “AVIATION ARCHAEOLOGY AND ST OSYTH WW2 MUSEUM”

20TH JUNE. BRIAN D'ARCY.  “GHOSTS OF THE TOWER OF LONDON.”

18TH JULY. MEMBERS SHORT PRESENTATIONS. GILL GREEN AND SANDRA ADAMS SALMON.

15TH AUGUST. VIC MILLER.  “AN EVENING OF VISUAL IMAGES ”

19TH SEPTEMBER. DAVID WHITTLE.  “WW1 THE HARWICH FORCE,CAPTAIN FRYATT,THE SS BRUSSELS AND THE SURRENDER OF THE U BOATS INTO HARWICH HARBOUR.”

17TH OCTOBER. A.G.M.  A SHORT DVD OF JOHNSON'S OF CLACTON BY ANTHONY ALLSTON A LOCAL RESIDENT.

21ST NOVEMBER. FRANCIS BOARDMAN. “THE GREAT STINK”,THE BUILDING OF LONDON'S SEWERS.

19TH DECEMBER MILLER. XMAS QUIZ.

Elsenham Village History Society

1. Elsenham Village History Society Quarterly Meeting - Roger Barrett -'The Fuller Maitlands at Stansted Hall' March 13, 2019 8:00 p.m. at Elsenham Memorial Hall Free to Members - Visitors always welcome only £2 Tea and Coffee will be available from 7:45p.m. (Agenda will be available about 1 week prior to meeting)

2. Elsenham Village History Society Quarterly Meeting - Lee Player - Thatching History and Practice June 12, 2019 8:00 p.m. at Elsenham Memorial Hall Free to Members - Visitors always welcome only £2 Tea and Coffee will be available from 7:45p.m. (Agenda will be available about 1 week prior to meeting)

3. Elsenham Village History Society Quarterly Meeting - Bill Hardy- Building Kings College Chapel and Arabic assembly marks September 11, 2019 8:00 p.m. at Elsenham Memorial Hall Free to Members - Visitors always welcome only £2 Tea and Coffee will be available from 7:45p.m. (Agenda will be available about 1 week prior to meeting)

4. Elsenham Village History Society Quarterly Meeting -Mark Carroll - DNA Surnames and Genealogy November 13, 2019 8:00 pm at Elsenham Memorial Hall Free to Members - Visitors always welcome only £2 Tea and Coffee will be available from 7:45p.m. (Agenda will be available about 1 week prior to meeting)

5. Elsenham Village History Society Quarterly Meeting - Illustrated Talk - The Story of Elsenham Jam - Ray Franklin Chairman Elsenham Village History Society March 12, 2020 8:00 pm at Elsenham Memorial Hall Free to Members - Visitors always welcome only £2 Tea and Coffee will be available from 7:45p.m. (Agenda will be available about 1 week prior to meeting)

Halstead and District Local history Society

All events take place at 7:30pm in the Baptist Church, Hedingham Road, Halstead unless otherwise stated.

No meetings are yet listed for 2019.

Hedingham Heritage Society

10 January, Thursday 7:45pm The Memorial Hall, Castle Hedingham

Pictorial History of Essex / Suffolk Border - Ashley Cooper

Historical Association (Essex Branch)

Talks are on Saturdays at 2.30pm

Venue: Trinity Methodist Church, Rainsford Road, Chelmsford, CM1 2XB.

Free parking at the Church or in the County Council car-park opposite.

Visitors and prospective members warmly welcomed - a £3 donation requested.

12th January

The Weimar Republic and its difficult birth

Dr Eric Boston, Director of Academic Liaison, Head of Humanities, Head of History and Politics, CATs Cambridge

2nd February

The Case of the Petrified Leg and other 18th century Medical Curiosities

Dr Lisa Smith, Lecturer, Department of History, University of Essex

2nd March

Some Ancient Greeks in Roman Britain

Professor Edith Hall, Professor of Classics, King's College, University of London

6th April

'Please, Sir, I want some more'.  What did they eat in Victorian Britain?

Dr Robert Hopkinson, former Head of History, Wolsingham School, former Secretary, Durham HA Branch, and recent Treasurer, Cumbria HA Branch

11th May

'The March of the Women':  The Campaign for Women's Suffrage in Britain?

Dr Robert Saunders, Senior Lecturer in Modern British History, Queen Mary College, University of London

Jaywick Local History Society

• Monday21st.January 2019.  The 'After Christmas Meal '  at Clacton Golf Club - 12.30 for 1.00pm.
• Tuesday 5th. February  John Worland - 'The Essex Witches'
• Tuesday 2nd. April  Nicholas Charrington - 'Layer Marney Tower'
• Tuesday 4th. June. Brian Thurlow - 'The Red Barn Murders'
• Tuesday 6th. August. Peter Jones - 'The Great Essex Earthquake'
• Tuesday 1st. October. A.G.M. followed by Richard A. Scott - 'The Story of Bourne Mill'

Leyton and Leytonstone Historical Society

7.45pm Wednesday January 16th 2019 *

Les Capon talks about his latest year as an archaeologist.

Leyton Sixth Form College (Room HE4), Essex Road, Leyton E10 6EQ (buses along Lea Bridge Road)

7.45pm Wednesday February 20th 2019 *

 A talk by Richard Gray ‘Shakespeare’s  London to the West End Playhouse ‘

St John's Hall, off High Road, Leytonstone, London E11 by the entrance to the Matalan store, (not far from Leytonstone Central Line station)

£2 contribution requested from visitors.

Newport Local History Group

No events are currently listed.

Saffron Walden Historical society

7.45 pm at the Friends’ Meeting House, High Street, Saffron Walden – All welcome. Members can join at this meeting for just £7 a year which entitles you to free entry to seven lectures.

Wednesday 23 January 2019 – The Long Road to Brexit: Robin O’Neill

Wed 27 Feb: The archaeological landscape of Great Chesterford: Jacqui Hutton

Wed 27 Mar: The Italian artist Biagio Rebecca and his work at Audley End: Peter Moore

Wed 24 April: The Cutlers of Thaxted 1350-1450: Richard Till

South Woodham Ferrers Local History Society

Meetings held at Champions Manor Hall Community Centre, 94 Hullbridge Road, South Woodham Ferrers, Essex.  CM3 5LJ.  Meetings start at 8pm.

johnfranklandswf@btinternet.com

01245 321518

Wednesday 6 February 2019.  Railway Branch Lines to Maldon.  Nathaniel Dodd

Wednesday 6 March 2019.  The history of Lodges Coaches. Robert Lodge

Wednesday 3 April 2019.  One day in the Battle of Britain in Essex, 29 October 1940.  Neil Wiffin, Essex Record Office

Wednesday 1 May 2019.  Essex Church Brasses. Martin Stuchfield, Monumental Brass Society.

Wednesday 5 June 2019.  Society’s outdoor visit

Stebbing Local History Society

All meetings are held at the Stebbing Village Hall, Mill Lane, Stebbing, Essex, CM6 3SL. Entry is free to members and guests are charged £2.

Five meetings are held per year on the second Monday of the months of February, April, June, September and November. All meetings start at 8 p.m. The meetings always consist of a guest speaker on a local subject and there is always a display of different documents and photographs from our archives.

No meetings are yet listed for 2019.

Thurrock Local History Society

Meetings are held at Thurrock Adult Community College, Richmond Road, Grays Thurrock, Essex, RM17 6DN.   All meetings begin at 8.00 pm unless indicated otherwise. The AGM begins at 7.30 pm.   Most talks are illustrated and there is a break for refreshments.

Membership Subscriptions: Adults - £15.00, Students - £4.00, Under age 16 - free, Visitors (per meeting) - £2.00   Visitors are very welcome at all meetings.

Friday, 18th January 2019.  The Great War - a review by Brett Goodyear

Friday, 15th February 2019.  Ghosts and Graves in Barking and Dagenham by Linda Rhodes

Friday 15th March 2019.  Belhus and the Barrett Lennards by Susan Yates

Friday, 26th April 2019.  The Annual General Meeting (starts at 7.30) followed by  DNA - what can it tell us? by John Matthews

Friday, 17th May 2019.  Machu Picchu by Scott Sullivan

Waltham Abbey Historical Society

We organise a series of lectures on the third Fridays of September to May, at the Baptist Church, Paradise Road, Waltham Abbey EN9 1RL, 8-10pm with a refreshment break. Anyone is welcome to come; members are free and we invite a £1 donation from non-members.

Friday 18th January 2019: St Albans: The First 1000 Years.  Sally Pearson

Friday 15th February 2019: Their Name Liveth for Evermore: The Story of the Unknown Soldier and War Memorials.  Martyn Lockwood

Friday 15th March 2019. Puddephatt Memorial Lecture: A Church Saved for the People and the Nation: The 1960-65 Restoration of the Parish Church of the Holy Cross and St Lawrence, Waltham Abbey.  Grenville Weltch.

Friday 12th April 2019 (this is the 2^nd Friday of April):  Presidential Address & Annual General Meeting

Friday 17th May 2019: The West End of the Church at Waltham Abbey: Mysteries and Modifications.  Lawrence Greenall & Steve Miller

PARKING: the large Corn Mill Car Park is behind the Town Hall (its entrance is to the side of Muhinur restaurant, Greenyard, EN9 1RD) free in the evenings. The Baptist church is a 2-minute walk from the car park exit, heading due east through an archway in a 1960s block of flats.

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.

Talk: The Ancient Newness of Broomfield Church by Neil Wiffen. Saturday 27 October 2018. 2pm

Neil Wiffen writes: "To help raise money towards the £100,000 cost of re-shingling Broomfield Church, I've been asked to give my paper from the autumn 2017 ERO conference about the development of the church to c.1870."

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