Newsletter No 12 Spring 2012
Our Spring meeting on 17 March was hosted by Joel Kerry and Richard Taylor at York Explore. 30 members of the following local history/archaeology groups attended (* indicates that a verbal report was given by that group): Acomb* , All Saints Long Marston*, Bilton in Ainsty with Bickerton*, Bilbrough*, Bishopthorpe*, Cawood Castle Garth*, Claxton and Sand Hutton, Derwent*, Dringhouses*, Dunnington Archaeology, Dunnington through the Ages, Fishergate Fulford and Heslington*, Friends of Hagg Wood, Haxby, Holgate Windmill*, North Duffield*, Poppleton*, South Ainsty, Stillingfleet Chroniclers*, Strensall*.
Visitors: S Potten (AOC Archaeology), J Kenny, J Rimmer and H Baxter (York Archaeological Trust),
J Hoyland (York Museums Trust). Richard Taylor (Archives & Local History Development Manager) gave us another detailed update on the "York: Gateway to History" project. Aspects he mentioned included the EU-wide tendering process for the work to be done at York Explore; the plans for the first floor landing, the present Reference Library room and other spaces designed for different user groups; and details of the HLF bid requirements, including a Statement of Significance. Separate from all this, the National Archives have given money for the whole of York's City Archives to be catalogued.
Richard also told us in detail about the design of the original Brierley library building, its funding, and an important innovation: the public were to be allowed to take books from the shelves - they would no longer have to ask a librarian to do this! Richard also mentioned the importance of York 800 in raising awareness of York's Archives, and the intention that local history groups should have their archives accessible locally, not centrally. Jon Kenny gave his Community Archaeologist's report and John Hoyland gave a presentation on plans for the old Debtors' Prison and a WWI memorials research project.
Acomb Local History Group
We have very little to report. Our meetings continue on the second Wednesday of each month in the Parish Hall and are well attended. We continue to create interest by collecting old photographs and memorabilia about Acomb and Holgate. We are hoping to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee with a meeting where members give their recollections of the coronation but these are coming in very slowly.
Contact: John Terry at [email protected]
All Saints’ Long Marston Parish History Group
The following exhibitions and displays will be staged at All Saints Church, Long Marston during the year: 12 May and 09 June from 10.00am to 4.00pm – “The life of Queen Elizabeth the Second”. 30 June and 01 July from 10.00am to 4.00pm – “The Battle of Marston Moor (2nd July 1644)”. 08 September and 13 October from 10.00am to 4.00pm – “Childhood Through the Ages”.
Also on view will be the Archive and Records of the Church and Parish of Long Marston, with guidance available on tracing your own family tree.
Further details: telephone 01904 738456. Website is at www.longmarstonhistory.org.uk
Bilbrough History & Archaeology Group
The Group will be having two open days at St James’ Church, Bilbrough on 2 June and 8 September 2012, plus a table at the Archaeology and History Fair at the Guildhall, York in October. Members of the Group are studying medieval writing and carrying out field surveys and archaeology digs, plus helping other groups with their projects this year. We are still gathering information on the history of the village of Bilbrough, so we will be quite busy this year.
Contact: Roger Weatherill 01937 830204 or Fiona Pearson 01904 289728.
Bilton-in-Ainsty with Bickerton LHG
We are having an open weekend at St Helen's Church (situated on the B1224 between Wetherby and York) on 30 June -1 July. This English Civil War weekend will include Living History and drill displays with cameo performances by Sealed Knot. Our ancient church played its part in Civil War history on the 2 of July 1644, when it was used as a field hospital where the wounded from both sides were treated by the barber surgeons. The church will be open from 10am until 4pm on Saturday and 10am until 1pm on Sunday. Our friends at All Saints’ Church, Long Marston will also have open days on these dates, with Living History performances from Sealed Knot.
We look forward to seeing you all on this special weekend.
Contact Susie Pilling: email: [email protected]
Bishopthorpe Local History Society
Our summer programme is now finalised. There will be three open meetings at a cost of £3 per person including refreshments. Our talks will be on 15 May “Scenes of Edwardian York, especially the shops and goods on sale” by Ivan Martin in the Methodist Church Hall at 7.30pm; 15 September “Like Mother, like Daughter” by Elizabeth Smith in the Church Hall at 2.30pm; 3 November “Chocolate Letters” by Ken Hayward in the Village Hall at 2.30pm. There will also be a village walk on 11 July at 7.30pm.
We plan to open our village archive to the public every Monday afternoon at the Village Hall from 2.30 to 5pm ((Bank Holidays excepted).
Contact: Diana Forrester 01904 705396. More details on our website www.bishopthorpe.net/mt/history
The Claxton & Sand Hutton Local Heritage Group
A “Coffee, Chat and Copy” morning was held on Saturday 10th September 2011 to encourage villagers to bring in plans and photographs of their houses and gardens before and after renovation. Allied to this, we are exploring how we might begin to use the extensive research material acquired from local photographs, historical maps, census surveys and trade directories.
A second, highly successful, “Down Memory Lane” evening was held in the Village Hall on 7 October 2011, with Michael Dryland, Harry Hall and Jenny Whitely reminiscing “in the parlour”. Many amusing anecdotes were told of life in and around the villages and of the last days of Sand Hutton Hall.
Another highly successful Yorkshire Film Archive meeting was held on 14 March 2012. Some
19th-century film was shown followed by a chronological sequence of town, country and school life through to the 1960s and 70s, including footage of the Coronation celebrations of 1953.
We are looking forward to the appearance at the June NRM Railfest, of “Synolda”, the miniature gauge railway steam engine which ran in the grounds of Sand Hutton Hall in the 1920s. “Synolda” is currently resident at the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway in Cumbria. The Group is hoping to negotiate a fleeting return of the engine to its former home after the Railfest event.
For detailed information on the material gathered by the Group, please contact Anne White (01904 468550) or access the parish website: www.claxton-sandhutton.org.
Dringhouses Local History Group
Our programme of walks and talks continues to attract good support. This year our informal evening consisted of six of our members being “interviewed” about an interest of theirs with particular reference to Dringhouses. This made for a humorous session, including choices of music. We have asked members to nominate a building, feature or a person for a future “Treasures of Dringhouses” presentation and we are joining with our local library to put on a Diamond Jubilee display. We are also going to investigate a possible prehistoric enclosure on the Knavesmire. The programme of work (including a geophysical survey) is being coordinated by Jon Kenny. Further details can be obtained from him on 01904663020 or [email protected]
Contact Elizabeth Smith on 01904 703970, or 708770. Website is http://dlhg.weebly.com
Holgate Windmill Preservation Society
The millwright’s restoration work is nearly finished and when the stones are redressed, balanced flour production will begin. This will be helped initially with guidance from an experienced miller from Maud Foster Windmill in Boston, Lincolnshire.
A display of the innovative and technologically new ideas which changed the shape of milling and people’s lives will be part of York800 and British Archaeology Festivals.
Open Days: first and 3rd weekend of each month, May till October, 11am to 4pm.
Contact: Jen Hay on 01904 792638 and www.holgatewindmill.org
Poppleton History Society
Meetings are held on the first Wednesday of each winter month in the Community Centre at 7.30pm. The final meeting for this session was on 2 May when we held our AGM and had a presentation by Bob Brook entitled “The History of the Poppleton Community Railway Nursery”. Our meetings and talks will resume in September and the schedule of talks can be found on our website: www.poppleton.net (History Society). All are welcome.
We are members of the OASIS project (University of York) which records the more localised reports on investigations of archaeological sites. For further details contact 01904 338610.
North Duffield Conservation and Local History Society
Following our HLF grant, we conducted the “Big Village Dig 2011” where we excavated 1x1 metre test pits in residents’ gardens. This resulted in finds of mostly medieval and post-medieval pottery but with some Roman and perhaps even earlier material. The event drew the community together and answered some of the questions we had posed.
We have started construction of our 5-metre Iron Age roundhouse. The site has been fenced off in a corner of a pasture in which there are crop marks of a roundhouse, enclosures and trackways. The field has been surveyed with magnetometer equipment and the wall timbers have all been stripped of the bark and the plan of the house has been set out.
The first draft of the “Iron Age Information and Activity Pack” for the local school is now almost complete and is at the consultation stage. Jon Kenny has checked that the archaeology and history is correct and a colleague (recently retired Head of Key Stage 2at the School) will oversee its suitability for primary school children. It will be presented to the pupils as part of the curriculum under Local History (schools do not normally cover the Iron Age but start with the Romans).
The new replica milestone plaque for an existing stone between North Duffield and Bubwith (on the A163) has been cast.
Once again we entered an event in the CBA Festival of Archaeology. This is to confirm, evaluate and possibly date, hut circles showing as crop marks.
Contact: Tony Stevens 01757 288941.Our website is www.ndchs.org.uk
Strensall Local History Group
The final phase of our Roman road geophysical survey is being restarted, followed by further surveys of the ridge & furrow features. We are pleased to announce that the Group has a website, a new email address and a blog spot! The website, which is still “work in progress”, is at www.slhg.weebly.com, and our email address is: [email protected]. Many thanks to those groups who were asked for their experiences on setting up a website. To see what we've been up to with the latest information on surveys, please look up the website http://strensalllocalhistorygroup.blogspot.com/.
We have produced the first of a series of pamphlets entitled “A Village Walk”. Our recent meetings have included a talk by Maureen Sutcliffe on experiences farming a smallholding, a presentation on the taxes Strensall was subject to, and a delve into a 19th-century local farmer’s diary and accounts. Future meetings will include presentations on the history of Strensall Common, the life and times of George Hudson, and the Rowntree Society.
Contact: Alan on 01904 491335.
Stillingfleet Chroniclers
Little work has been done during the past few months, except for gathering information when houses in the Parish have been sold or altered. Yvonne and Jane were pleased to be invited to the Acomb Local History Group in January to give our presentation on the Stillingfleet Tragedy of 1833. After many years, people still come forward to say that their ancestors were affected by it. We added several more names to the village family trees and one family now has over 400 names on its own tree. We are now planning some intensive research on our WWI memorial.
Contact: Jocelyn on 1904728484.
MEETINGS SCHEDULE
Timeline York Plus holds regular meetings, usually hosted each time by one of the member groups.
The next meeting is scheduled for 2.00pm on Saturday 22 September 2012. The meeting will be hosted by the Fishergate, Fulford & Heslington Group. More details will be circulated to groups nearer the date.
THE COMMUNITY ARCHAEOLOGIST
Dr. Jon Kenny is the Greater York Community Archaeologist. Jon continues to support many groups, including TYP member-groups, young offenders, those on mandatory work experience and those with learning difficulties. At the moment Hannah Baxter is assisting him and has plans to run a book club (with history and archaeology links). She is also working with homeless people and refugee groups and is supporting the Hungate project. Jon is currently gathering information about the brick and tile industry in the York area. His e-mail is: [email protected]. Tel. 01904 663035.
Jon maintains a WIKI website (http://yorkcommunityarchaeology.pbwiki.com) on behalf of Timeline York Plus, giving details of archaeological activities in the Greater York area. It also includes more news and a list of all member Groups.
This newsletter is distributed to member groups and other interested organisations, and to York libraries.
It is included on the Community Archaeologist website http://yorkcommunityarchaeology.pbwiki.com
The newsletter has been edited by Elizabeth Smith and Ted Kendall. Comments and enquiries may be sent to the various Groups’ contacts where given, or to Ted Kendall at: [email protected] or telephone 01904 338610.
Our Spring meeting on 17 March was hosted by Joel Kerry and Richard Taylor at York Explore. 30 members of the following local history/archaeology groups attended (* indicates that a verbal report was given by that group): Acomb* , All Saints Long Marston*, Bilton in Ainsty with Bickerton*, Bilbrough*, Bishopthorpe*, Cawood Castle Garth*, Claxton and Sand Hutton, Derwent*, Dringhouses*, Dunnington Archaeology, Dunnington through the Ages, Fishergate Fulford and Heslington*, Friends of Hagg Wood, Haxby, Holgate Windmill*, North Duffield*, Poppleton*, South Ainsty, Stillingfleet Chroniclers*, Strensall*.
Visitors: S Potten (AOC Archaeology), J Kenny, J Rimmer and H Baxter (York Archaeological Trust),
J Hoyland (York Museums Trust). Richard Taylor (Archives & Local History Development Manager) gave us another detailed update on the "York: Gateway to History" project. Aspects he mentioned included the EU-wide tendering process for the work to be done at York Explore; the plans for the first floor landing, the present Reference Library room and other spaces designed for different user groups; and details of the HLF bid requirements, including a Statement of Significance. Separate from all this, the National Archives have given money for the whole of York's City Archives to be catalogued.
Richard also told us in detail about the design of the original Brierley library building, its funding, and an important innovation: the public were to be allowed to take books from the shelves - they would no longer have to ask a librarian to do this! Richard also mentioned the importance of York 800 in raising awareness of York's Archives, and the intention that local history groups should have their archives accessible locally, not centrally. Jon Kenny gave his Community Archaeologist's report and John Hoyland gave a presentation on plans for the old Debtors' Prison and a WWI memorials research project.
Acomb Local History Group
We have very little to report. Our meetings continue on the second Wednesday of each month in the Parish Hall and are well attended. We continue to create interest by collecting old photographs and memorabilia about Acomb and Holgate. We are hoping to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee with a meeting where members give their recollections of the coronation but these are coming in very slowly.
Contact: John Terry at [email protected]
All Saints’ Long Marston Parish History Group
The following exhibitions and displays will be staged at All Saints Church, Long Marston during the year: 12 May and 09 June from 10.00am to 4.00pm – “The life of Queen Elizabeth the Second”. 30 June and 01 July from 10.00am to 4.00pm – “The Battle of Marston Moor (2nd July 1644)”. 08 September and 13 October from 10.00am to 4.00pm – “Childhood Through the Ages”.
Also on view will be the Archive and Records of the Church and Parish of Long Marston, with guidance available on tracing your own family tree.
Further details: telephone 01904 738456. Website is at www.longmarstonhistory.org.uk
Bilbrough History & Archaeology Group
The Group will be having two open days at St James’ Church, Bilbrough on 2 June and 8 September 2012, plus a table at the Archaeology and History Fair at the Guildhall, York in October. Members of the Group are studying medieval writing and carrying out field surveys and archaeology digs, plus helping other groups with their projects this year. We are still gathering information on the history of the village of Bilbrough, so we will be quite busy this year.
Contact: Roger Weatherill 01937 830204 or Fiona Pearson 01904 289728.
Bilton-in-Ainsty with Bickerton LHG
We are having an open weekend at St Helen's Church (situated on the B1224 between Wetherby and York) on 30 June -1 July. This English Civil War weekend will include Living History and drill displays with cameo performances by Sealed Knot. Our ancient church played its part in Civil War history on the 2 of July 1644, when it was used as a field hospital where the wounded from both sides were treated by the barber surgeons. The church will be open from 10am until 4pm on Saturday and 10am until 1pm on Sunday. Our friends at All Saints’ Church, Long Marston will also have open days on these dates, with Living History performances from Sealed Knot.
We look forward to seeing you all on this special weekend.
Contact Susie Pilling: email: [email protected]
Bishopthorpe Local History Society
Our summer programme is now finalised. There will be three open meetings at a cost of £3 per person including refreshments. Our talks will be on 15 May “Scenes of Edwardian York, especially the shops and goods on sale” by Ivan Martin in the Methodist Church Hall at 7.30pm; 15 September “Like Mother, like Daughter” by Elizabeth Smith in the Church Hall at 2.30pm; 3 November “Chocolate Letters” by Ken Hayward in the Village Hall at 2.30pm. There will also be a village walk on 11 July at 7.30pm.
We plan to open our village archive to the public every Monday afternoon at the Village Hall from 2.30 to 5pm ((Bank Holidays excepted).
Contact: Diana Forrester 01904 705396. More details on our website www.bishopthorpe.net/mt/history
The Claxton & Sand Hutton Local Heritage Group
A “Coffee, Chat and Copy” morning was held on Saturday 10th September 2011 to encourage villagers to bring in plans and photographs of their houses and gardens before and after renovation. Allied to this, we are exploring how we might begin to use the extensive research material acquired from local photographs, historical maps, census surveys and trade directories.
A second, highly successful, “Down Memory Lane” evening was held in the Village Hall on 7 October 2011, with Michael Dryland, Harry Hall and Jenny Whitely reminiscing “in the parlour”. Many amusing anecdotes were told of life in and around the villages and of the last days of Sand Hutton Hall.
Another highly successful Yorkshire Film Archive meeting was held on 14 March 2012. Some
19th-century film was shown followed by a chronological sequence of town, country and school life through to the 1960s and 70s, including footage of the Coronation celebrations of 1953.
We are looking forward to the appearance at the June NRM Railfest, of “Synolda”, the miniature gauge railway steam engine which ran in the grounds of Sand Hutton Hall in the 1920s. “Synolda” is currently resident at the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway in Cumbria. The Group is hoping to negotiate a fleeting return of the engine to its former home after the Railfest event.
For detailed information on the material gathered by the Group, please contact Anne White (01904 468550) or access the parish website: www.claxton-sandhutton.org.
Dringhouses Local History Group
Our programme of walks and talks continues to attract good support. This year our informal evening consisted of six of our members being “interviewed” about an interest of theirs with particular reference to Dringhouses. This made for a humorous session, including choices of music. We have asked members to nominate a building, feature or a person for a future “Treasures of Dringhouses” presentation and we are joining with our local library to put on a Diamond Jubilee display. We are also going to investigate a possible prehistoric enclosure on the Knavesmire. The programme of work (including a geophysical survey) is being coordinated by Jon Kenny. Further details can be obtained from him on 01904663020 or [email protected]
Contact Elizabeth Smith on 01904 703970, or 708770. Website is http://dlhg.weebly.com
Holgate Windmill Preservation Society
The millwright’s restoration work is nearly finished and when the stones are redressed, balanced flour production will begin. This will be helped initially with guidance from an experienced miller from Maud Foster Windmill in Boston, Lincolnshire.
A display of the innovative and technologically new ideas which changed the shape of milling and people’s lives will be part of York800 and British Archaeology Festivals.
Open Days: first and 3rd weekend of each month, May till October, 11am to 4pm.
Contact: Jen Hay on 01904 792638 and www.holgatewindmill.org
Poppleton History Society
Meetings are held on the first Wednesday of each winter month in the Community Centre at 7.30pm. The final meeting for this session was on 2 May when we held our AGM and had a presentation by Bob Brook entitled “The History of the Poppleton Community Railway Nursery”. Our meetings and talks will resume in September and the schedule of talks can be found on our website: www.poppleton.net (History Society). All are welcome.
We are members of the OASIS project (University of York) which records the more localised reports on investigations of archaeological sites. For further details contact 01904 338610.
North Duffield Conservation and Local History Society
Following our HLF grant, we conducted the “Big Village Dig 2011” where we excavated 1x1 metre test pits in residents’ gardens. This resulted in finds of mostly medieval and post-medieval pottery but with some Roman and perhaps even earlier material. The event drew the community together and answered some of the questions we had posed.
We have started construction of our 5-metre Iron Age roundhouse. The site has been fenced off in a corner of a pasture in which there are crop marks of a roundhouse, enclosures and trackways. The field has been surveyed with magnetometer equipment and the wall timbers have all been stripped of the bark and the plan of the house has been set out.
The first draft of the “Iron Age Information and Activity Pack” for the local school is now almost complete and is at the consultation stage. Jon Kenny has checked that the archaeology and history is correct and a colleague (recently retired Head of Key Stage 2at the School) will oversee its suitability for primary school children. It will be presented to the pupils as part of the curriculum under Local History (schools do not normally cover the Iron Age but start with the Romans).
The new replica milestone plaque for an existing stone between North Duffield and Bubwith (on the A163) has been cast.
Once again we entered an event in the CBA Festival of Archaeology. This is to confirm, evaluate and possibly date, hut circles showing as crop marks.
Contact: Tony Stevens 01757 288941.Our website is www.ndchs.org.uk
Strensall Local History Group
The final phase of our Roman road geophysical survey is being restarted, followed by further surveys of the ridge & furrow features. We are pleased to announce that the Group has a website, a new email address and a blog spot! The website, which is still “work in progress”, is at www.slhg.weebly.com, and our email address is: [email protected]. Many thanks to those groups who were asked for their experiences on setting up a website. To see what we've been up to with the latest information on surveys, please look up the website http://strensalllocalhistorygroup.blogspot.com/.
We have produced the first of a series of pamphlets entitled “A Village Walk”. Our recent meetings have included a talk by Maureen Sutcliffe on experiences farming a smallholding, a presentation on the taxes Strensall was subject to, and a delve into a 19th-century local farmer’s diary and accounts. Future meetings will include presentations on the history of Strensall Common, the life and times of George Hudson, and the Rowntree Society.
Contact: Alan on 01904 491335.
Stillingfleet Chroniclers
Little work has been done during the past few months, except for gathering information when houses in the Parish have been sold or altered. Yvonne and Jane were pleased to be invited to the Acomb Local History Group in January to give our presentation on the Stillingfleet Tragedy of 1833. After many years, people still come forward to say that their ancestors were affected by it. We added several more names to the village family trees and one family now has over 400 names on its own tree. We are now planning some intensive research on our WWI memorial.
Contact: Jocelyn on 1904728484.
MEETINGS SCHEDULE
Timeline York Plus holds regular meetings, usually hosted each time by one of the member groups.
The next meeting is scheduled for 2.00pm on Saturday 22 September 2012. The meeting will be hosted by the Fishergate, Fulford & Heslington Group. More details will be circulated to groups nearer the date.
THE COMMUNITY ARCHAEOLOGIST
Dr. Jon Kenny is the Greater York Community Archaeologist. Jon continues to support many groups, including TYP member-groups, young offenders, those on mandatory work experience and those with learning difficulties. At the moment Hannah Baxter is assisting him and has plans to run a book club (with history and archaeology links). She is also working with homeless people and refugee groups and is supporting the Hungate project. Jon is currently gathering information about the brick and tile industry in the York area. His e-mail is: [email protected]. Tel. 01904 663035.
Jon maintains a WIKI website (http://yorkcommunityarchaeology.pbwiki.com) on behalf of Timeline York Plus, giving details of archaeological activities in the Greater York area. It also includes more news and a list of all member Groups.
This newsletter is distributed to member groups and other interested organisations, and to York libraries.
It is included on the Community Archaeologist website http://yorkcommunityarchaeology.pbwiki.com
The newsletter has been edited by Elizabeth Smith and Ted Kendall. Comments and enquiries may be sent to the various Groups’ contacts where given, or to Ted Kendall at: [email protected] or telephone 01904 338610.
