Essex Society for Archaeology and History - latest news during 'lockdown'

Members will have received the Summer 2020 edition of the Newsletter (NL191) over the past few days. It gives information regarding the proposed restart of activities, effective from September 2020.  The Annual General Meeting has been moved to Saturday 17 October to be held at the Albert Sloman Library at the University of Essex.

The Newsletter is now being compiled and edited by Adrian Corder-Birch.  The Society has plans to phase out the Newsletter as it takes on the Essex Journal for 2021.  Members will, in future, be contacted by email.   There is also notice of a change in management of the Society's website.

Items in this edition of the Newsletter include

- Essex Journal

- British Association of Local History Award for ESAH Newsletter

- Welcome to New Members

- Hugh Peskett (1932-2020)

- Back to the Future. The impact of science across Essex

- The Essex Place-Names Project

- Early Falconry

- Audley End seen by a Yorkshire Antiquary

- Little Leighs Estate Map of 1735

- Eastern Counties Coal Boring & Development Association Ltd

- Harwich Harbour

- Duels: the responsibilities of attending medical men

- Gestingthorpe Choir

- Essex's Palenque or Stonehenge?

- Essex seen from elsewhere

- A brownfield nature reserve at Canvey Wick 

Colchester Museums Closed during Coronavirus Outbreak

The Essex Society for Archaeology and History has received public notice of the closure of Colchester Castle Museum of Hollytrees "for the duration" of the Covid-19 outbreak.  This means that access to our Storeroom will not be possible in the usual way.

Closure of Colchester Borough Council Buildings and delivery of council services.
Following the Government’s advice on helping to stop the spread of COVID-19 we have taken the decision to close our buildings to the public from the end of today (Wednesday 18 March).
However, while our buildings are closed to the public, all other services, including the Community Hub and Waste and Recycling Service, are operating as usual. Our parks, public spaces and public toilets are also open.

The buildings that will close to the public include: All Leisure World sites (including Aqua Springs) Charter Hall Town Hall Colchester Castle Museum Hollytrees Museum (including the Visitor Information Centre) The Natural History Museum High Woods Country Park Visitor Centre Colchester Borough Homes Greenstead Housing Office

It is anticipated that these buildings will be closed for the foreseeable future. However this will be reviewed on at least a weekly basis.

We would like to reassure the public that anyone who has purchased a ticket or place for any of our classes, events or shows at any of these venues will be contacted over the next few days and offered a refund or the opportunity to attend any events or shows being rescheduled. Leisure World - Membership charges for Leisure World will be frozen during this period. colchesterleisureworld.co.uk/ Colchester Museums - While Colchester Castle and the museums will be closed to the general public, they will still accommodate any planned educational visits behind closed doors while the schools remain open. cimuseums.org.uk/ The Visitor Information Centre - (based in Hollytrees Museum) will continue to operate through its website visitcolchester.com and its social media channels providing advice for locals and visitors alike, with updates on venues and attractions during this time. visitcolchester.com/ Colchester Borough Homes - Tenants will continue to be able to contact Colchester Borough Homes by telephone on 01206 282514 or email info@cbhomes.org.uk for advice and assistance. cbhomes.org.uk/ Residents needing to contact the council during this period can access the council’s service’s digitally through our website and details of how to contact services can be found at  colchester.gov.uk/contact/ or by calling 01206 282222. The Community Hub at Colchester Library remains open as usual, with opening hours of 9am-5pm.  Waste and recycling collections remain in place and are being maintained.

Essex Society for Archaeology and History: Latest News on Covid-19. Closure of Albert Sloman Library

This is to let you know that, sadly, the Albert Sloman Library at the University of Essex which houses the Society's collection of books will be closed to users from today, Tuesday 17 March, until further notice. This decision has been taken as a consequence of the seriousness of current coronavirus/Covid-19 pandemic.

I would be obliged if you could let ESAH members know that access to the Society’s library will not be possible until the Covid-19 crisis has abated. I will let you know just as soon as I can of the proposed reopening date for the Library.

Please note that during the closure period I will be visiting the Library occasionally, working from home, and generally keeping up-to-date with my emails. So, if an ESAH member has a particularly pressing need to access a book or journal from the Library, I will do my best to facilitate this.

Apologies for having to be the bearer of this unfortunate news.

Regards,

Nigel Cochrane

Essex Society for Archaeology and History: Latest News on events and meetings in light of Covid-19

Update

17 March 2020

Subject: ESAH and pandemic

Hope you are all well. Unfortunately the wording of our notice to members has been overtaken by events. With government advice now to avoid unnecessary travel and social interaction tomorrow's visit to Miss Wilmotts garden should not go ahead. Howard/Jane do you have email adresses or phone numbers for those who have booked (I imagine there aren't that many) if so could you contact them at let them know not to attend. If not we'll just have to hope they have heard and heed the government advice. Perhaps also let the host of the event know. Thanks and sorry to bother you with this.

Nigel


14 March 2020
The following is being sent to all registered members

Dear Member,
Re: Corona virus and ESAH events and meetings

In view of the ongoing Corona virus pandemic it has been necessary to make some changes to
the ESAH programme of events. In accordance with government advice, this week’s visit
to Miss Wilmott’s garden will proceed as planned. It is an open air event, numbers will be small and
if simple precautions such as not shaking hands and maintaining a greater distance than usual from
each other risk will be minimal.

However, it has been decided to postpone both the Morant Lecture (25th April) and visit to
the Warner Textile archive (22nd May). Whilst current government advice does not require the
postponement of such events the Society has decided to take a precautionary approach. Revised dates
will be advertised in due course, for those of you who have booked but are unable to attend on the
revised dates refunds will be offered. Committee and Council meetings planned for late March and
April have also been postponed.

It is hoped that the AGM will proceed as planned on 27th June, if it has to be postponed notification
will be given, and the revised date will be 17th October.

I apologise for any inconvenience caused but hope you will understand the circumstance which have
led to these decisions. If you would like any further information or clarification please contact me or Howard Brooks (our Secretary) at essexarchaeology@hotmail.com.

Yours sincerely
Nigel Brown
President

Essex Society for Archaeology and History. Programme for 2020

The Programme for 2020 has been published on the website and can be found by clicking on this link: http://esah1852.org.uk/events

Essex Society for Archaeology and History. Annual General Meeting. Saturday 8 June 2019

Papers in readiness for the Essex Society for Archaeology and History Annual General Meeting have been sent to members.

The meeting will be held at Little Maplestead Church, Church Street, Little Maplestead on Saturday 8 June 2019 at 2.00pm.

Chelmsford Industrial Trail. Originally devised and written by Stanley Wood in 1987. Revised and up-dated by Tony Crosby and Dave Buckley in 2018

Members of the Essex Society for Archaeology and History will have receive a 54-page book, in colour, produced by Messrs Crosby and Buckley to mark 30 years since the production of the original work 'Chelmsford Industrial Trail'.  It has been produced on behalf of the Essex Industrial Heritage Group.

Much has changed since 1987.  Many Chelmsford residents once worked in important local industries such as Christy, Crompton, Hoffmann and Marconi.  Chelmsford City hails itself as the 'Birthplace of Radio': 2020 sees the centenary of experimental broadcasts from the Marconi site.

"This new edition includes the industrial sites from Stanley Wood's original guide which survive, albeit in altered state, and describes what changes have taken place. It also highlights those sites which have been totally lost and redeveloped"

The Essex Review to be Digitised and Published Online

The Essex Review: An Illustrated Quarterly Record Of Everything Of Permanent Interest In The County ran for 258 issues, 66 volumes from 1892 to 1957.  The title is now owned by the Essex Society for Archaeology and History as is its successor, currently in publication, called ‘Essex Journal’.

Andrew Smith, Honorary Archivist, writes, “The Essex Review has never before been published online but will appear for the first time on the ESAH website.  The aim is to provide in searchable pdf format as many issues as possible.  Also published online will be the original indexes, the text of which can be found from Internet search engines.”

Adrian Corder-Birch adds:

“There are three general indices to the Essex Review as follows:

1.    Vol. 1 (1892) to the end of Vol. XXXVI (1927), edited and published by Benham in 1930 – original copies are very scarce, but there was one in the Local Studies Section of Colchester Central Library.

2.    Vol. XXXVII (1928) to Vol. LXI (1952) – compiled by Kenneth Walker and published by Benham in 1953. 

3.    Vol. LXII (1953) to Vol. LXV (1957) – compiled by Kenneth Walker and printed in April 1967.

Andrew adds: “In sorting copies for digitisation I came across an advertisement regarding the pending publication of the ‘New General Index 1928-1950’. In June 1950 it was indicated that work would proceed subject to there being sufficient subscribers.  The cost of each copy would be ten guineas (£10.50)”.

Essex Society for Archaeology and History: New Online Bookshop Open

To buy copies of our Transactions from Third Series Volume 31 visit our new Online Bookshop.

Festive Cheer

On the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 this morning there was an item noting that the British drink more wine now than ever before - the reason is because glass sizes have become bigger.  It reminded me that today (14 December) 165 years ago, the inaugural meeting of the Essex Archaeological Society was held, after which 35 members dined at The Cups Hotel, Colchester, spending 7s. 6d. each on a pint of wine.  Apart from the relatively huge expense of wine in 1852 (37.5p), it is worth noting that a pint is just over 2 large pub glasses (2 x 250ml) these days.

esah1852.org.uk Launched

Visit www.esah1852.org.uk , the Essex Society for Archaeology and History's new website.

This blog will continue alongside the new website becoming the focus of news for members and non members.  

esah160.blogspot was launched to supplement the old website, providing content never placed online before.  With the transition to the new website over the coming weeks new links will be created and old and redundant posts deleted.

Links in the sidebars have been updated this morning.  Please use contact form if you have a query.

Welcome to a New Website: esah1852.org.uk is here

Launch day of the website of the Essex Society for Archaeology and History:

www.esah1852.org.uk

esah1852.org.uk PENTLOW is Coming

The new website for the Essex Society for Archaeology and History will be officially launched this coming Saturday. 

The Research section of the Society's new website www.esah1852.org.uk will include ...

Publications & Archives Page

Welcome to PENTLOW, the Essex Society for Archaeology and History’s online publications and archives library.  We have been publishing articles large and small of historical and archaeological interest relating to Essex since 1858. From this page you will find an increasing number of articles free of charge online.  Other items may be purchased as hard copy offprints or part volumes, or viewed online at a nominal charge.  PENTLOW is also the name of a small village in the north of the county of Essex so it seems an appropriate name for this archive.

PENTLOW is an acronym for:

P: Place Names Project of Essex

E:  Essex Society for Archaeology and History archive

N: Newsletter archive

T: Transactions of the Society since 1858

L: Links to other archives

O: Occasional Papers

W: Wealth of Resources - which includes links to the Essex Record Office, and other organisations

esah1852. Essex Society for Archaeology and History's New Website to be Launched 14 October 2017

The Essex Society for Archaeology and History (ESAH) will be launching their new website, esah1852.org.uk, at the University of Essex Library in Wivenhoe, at 2pm on Saturday October 14, 2017.  An RSVP invitation is being sent to members in the Newsletter.

esah1852.org.uk was developed as part of an ambitious project to digitise the whole of the Society’s back catalogue of publications and make it freely and easily available to all our members.

Direct links on the homepage take you to the Place Names project and the Essex University Library where we hold ESAH’s collection of books. Our latest programme of excursions and events is also available from the homepage and members will soon be able to book attendance to any event online.

Only members of the Society will have access to the latest digitised online copies of the Transactions and Newsletters, while the historic collection will be available to the public at large. As part of this, we are still developing the membership management and online access to the website for exclusive access to the latest Transactions, Newsletters, Occasional Papers and future Panel of Speakers.

So far, 56 Transactions from 1858 to 1999 are available in PDF format to read, download and keep, at the click of a button. Indexes are included, Contents Lists can be searched. 120 newsletters from 1972 to 2010 are online along with all the latest EIAG newsletters. We have uploaded some comparative survey reports of modern and industrial sites and monuments on Essex windmills, water and steam mills and various railways; historic Colchester Museum annual reports from 1907 to 1974; ancient copies of Feet of Fines from 1182 to 1603; an inherited copy of the Panel of Speakers and – slightly more modern - 75 useful links to other organisations and societies ESAH interacts with.

The Secretary has taken it upon himself to compile a list of links for the new website. This includes some national and regional bodies but the largest element comprises local societies in Essex. Generally he has sought permission from the bodies concerned but, in order to produce a more comprehensive list, ESAH institutional members have been included where a current web address has been found. If there are any objections to inclusion, errors in web addresses or omissions, members are invited to contact the Secretary with any corrections or additions at essexarchaeology@hotmail.com.

The links can be found at esah1852.org.uk/links

esah1852 To Be Launched This October

The new website for the Essex Society for Archaeology and History will be launched this October.  It will be a massive improvement on the current site with many new features.  Look out for further news on this blog this month, and for changes to current web addresses and links.

Essex Industrial Heritage Fair. 7 October 2017. Exhibitors Invited

Essex Industrial Archaeology Group, Industrial Heritage Fair 2017

We are inviting you to participate or visit the 2017 event that will take place on:

Saturday 7th October 2017 between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm

at the Wat Tyler Country Park, Pitsea, SS16 4UH

The event is organised to raise the profile of the diverse industrial heritage of Essex and will also have benefits and advantages for your group or organisation.

The Fair will allow you to:

Promote and market your museum/site/society to other exhibitors and the public

Generate interest in your subject

Attract new and repeat visitors

Recruit volunteers

Network with other exhibitors to share experience, knowledge and expertise

The Fair will feature:

Local museums, industrial heritage sites and society stands

Short talks throughout the day on aspects of Essex industrial history

The Country Park Trail - a walk around the site that was once the Nobel Explosives factory

Family activities

The Wat Tyler Country Park offers:

Free on-site parking

125 acres of stunning parkland

A comfortable café offering a wide range of refreshments

Amenities for a great family day out

To book a stand at the Fair costs £15—email essexiag@gmail.com

For visitors it is a free event

Essex Industrial Heritage Fair. Saturday 7 October 2017. Poster

The Essex Industrial Archaeology Group (EIAG) is part of the Essex Society for Archaeology and History

The Fair will be held at Wat Tyler Country Park, Saturday 7 October 2017 from 10am to 4pm

Southend on Sea Borough Council Response Regarding Historic Environment

Southend-on-Sea Borough Council 

Department for Place Director of Planning and Transport — Peter Geraghty 

Our ref: DoPT/003 

11th January 2017 

Mr Adrian Corder-Birch 

The Essex Society for Archaeology & History

Dear Mr Corder-Birch 

Southend Historic Environment Record and Protection of Southend's Heritage 

Thank you for your letter dated 7th November 2016. 

The Council is aware of the Boroughs finite heritage resource both above and below ground and the requirement in the NPPF to maintain an up to date and publicly accessible Historic Environment Record (HER). The Southend HER is currently held at the museum with direct access also available to the Planning Officers through the database itself and through the GIS system. At present, over 500 sites are recorded in the HER. Where a site is close to an existing HER record or where it is considered to be located in an archaeologically sensitive location the Planning Department liaise with the Museum service regarding the appropriate response in terms of planning conditions. This has happened for a number of sites recently and is on-going. 

The HER is not yet online but it is publicly available at the Museum and many searches are undertaken each year. Requests are processed by the Council's Archaeology Curator at Southend Museum. Contact details for search requests can be found on the Heritage Gateway Website, below and on the Council's website.

Southend also benefits from an up-to-date historic environment policy as set out in the recently adopted Development Management Document, Policy DM5 'Southend-on-Sea's Historic Environment'. This policy seeks to protect all heritage designations including known and potential areas of archaeological interest. All applications where there are issues relating to historic or archaeological interest are considered against the Policy and the advice in the NPPF. 

Yours sincerely

PETER GERAGHTY 

DIRECTOR OF PLANNING & TRANSPORT 

Civic Centre : Victoria Avenue : Southend-on-Sea : Essex SS2 6ER 

Customer Service Centre . 01702 215000 www.southend.gov.uk 

Essex County Council Response Regarding Historic Environment

Essex County Council 

Cabinet Office 

PO Box 11 

County Hall 

Chelmsford Essex CM1 1LX 

Mr Adrian Corder-Birch D.L. 

President, Essex Society for Archaeology and History 

21 December 2016

Dear Mr Corder-Birch, 

Thank you for your letter dated 15th November and for the copy of The Archaeology of Essex: proceedings of the Chelmsford Conference, which I enjoyed reading. You may be aware that earlier this year our Place Services team ran a one-day conference at Audley End on 'Capability Brown in Essex', in celebration of the 300th anniversary of the birth of Lancelot 'Capability' Brown that one of your members Michael Leach contributed a talk to, and which was well received. We hope that there will be future such opportunities for ECC and the Essex Society for Archaeology and History to co-operate on the understanding and promotion of the county's historic environment. 

In relation to your query about Essex County Council's financial support of Place Services, for the Historic Environment Record, and their specialist advice, I can confirm that as a traded service, a number of teams within the County Council 'buy' the specialist services provided by Place Services via Service Level Agreements, and on a project by project basis. These include, but are not limited to, our Minerals and Waster Planners, Essex Highways, Floods and SuDS, and Essex Properties and Facilities. Some of the income generated by this activity is then used to support the maintenance of the Historic Environment Record. 

We are encouraged that you see the benefits of a more integrated approach to the management of the natural and historic environment that have come from the creation of Place Services, and can confirm that we are already seeing positive results from this. For example, the team has instigated a system of 'single responses' to internal planning consultations, such that conflicting issues between our different specialist advisors are resolved wherever possible prior to a response being sent back to ECC planners. This helps to save both time and money, and supports our planners in ensuring that development in the County is truly sustainable. 

With regards to your query about the NPPF (paragraph 126) requirement for local planning authorities to have in place a 'strategy for the positive conservation and enjoyment of the historic environment', I can confirm that the Place Services team feeds into strategic planning policy, including in the development of Local Plans, for both Essex County Council (e.g. the Essex Minerals Plan) and our local planning authority partners in Essex to help ensure positive planning for the historic environment of the county. 

I hope the above information helps to answer your queries and I would very happy to discuss these issues with you should you so wish. 

Yours Sincerely, 

Cllr Simon Walsh Cabinet Member for Environment and Waste Essex County Council 

cc. Cllr. John Spence, Cabinet Member for Finance Housing and Planning air David Finch, Leader, Essex County Council 

Historic Environment: Response from Castle Point Borough Council

Regeneration & Neighbourhoods 

Castle Point Borough Council Council Offices, 

Kiln Road, Thundersley, Benfleet, Essex SS7 1TF  

Adrian Corder-Birch, D.L. 

President 

The Essex Society for Archaeology & History  

Date: 16th December 2016 

Dear Mr Corder-Birch, 

HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT 

Thank you for your further letter of 11th November 2016 regarding the planning process and historic environment in Castle Point. I am pleased to learn that you acknowledge that there are effective procedures in place to consider historic environment issues. 

May I also reassure you that planning records relating to the historic environment are published and readily available and that planning officers are also able to call on specialist advice in appropriate cases, as and when necessary. 

Thank you for your continued interest in the historic environment of the Borough. 

Yours sincerely,  

Steve Rogers 

Head of Regeneration & Neighbourhoods