NEWSLETTER 14th November 2021
Next meeting: Friday November 19th. Ellie Reid will describe the local, and wider, manifestations of the 20th century pageant craze in a talk entitled Dressing up the past: the 1906 Warwick Pageant and the 20th century Pageant Movement. Pageants are mass, costumed, theatrical events celebrating usually historical themes, often involving hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of participants. They began as a craze in the very early years of the 20th century, and then continued in the interwar years. Their popularity then waned, but the Festival of Britain included a pageant, and the 2012 London Olympic opening ceremony was essentially a pageant. Ambridge staged a pageant in 2016, in a way which recalled the pageant in Mapp and Lucia, where village politics and personalities proved as compelling as the ostensible historical theme. The current appetite for costumed re-enactors at historical tourist venues has a faint echo of the pageant, albeit much diluted. Ellie Reid is Local Studies Librarian at Oxfordshire History Centre, and an independent researcher, with a special interest in the social history and material culture of 20th century historical pageants. We are looking forward to a stimulating talk by an expert researcher.
At present there are no mandatory covid-related restrictions on the use of the village hall, so we expect to present a normal evening. However, we advise that masks should be worn, and that the hand washing facilities be used. Seats will be spaced, although not at the previous 2m distance. . Please wrap up warmly as the hall will be ventilated. To minimise risk there will be no tea and biscuits, sorry.
Report on October 15th performance.
Our session on Friday 15th October was led by Michal Luntley, with his folk trio Tricaorach, in an evening entitled From This Ground: songs and stories about 19thcentury Warwickshire agricultural workers. Michael sang his own compositions describing the conditions of the agricultural labourer at the end of the 19th century, accompanying himself on a variety of guitars and banjos, with Maura Barnett on violin and Nickly Luntley providing backing vocals. Interspersed were poems by local poet Olga Dermott-Bond which considered the wider aspects of displacement, emigration, and exploitation.
The particular narrative Michael explored was the emigration of scores of local agricultural workers and their families to Brazil in the 1870s, promoted by Tom Alsop, an agent from Napton-on-the-Hill. The enterprise was a disaster, built on false promises and lies. It led to the destitution and death of many of the hopeful emigrants and their families. One survivor managed return to denounce Alsop at a public meeting in Napton. A consular official called Phipps had helpfully documented the whole sorry saga, and his evidence put an end to the corrupt project. Michael’s approach was in the folk singing tradition, embracing contemporary political and social commentary in his songs, drawing parallels between the effects of modern states’ policies on refugees, and the events of 150 years ago. It was clearly a heartfelt commentary on contemporary issues as much as an examination of historic misdeeds.
Michael’s “other life” is as Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at Warwick University, where his specialism is the study of the educational implications of the ideas of that supremely humane thinker Wittgenstein.
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Membership. If you are a Member of the group but have not paid your 2021 subscription yet (£10) our NEW Treasurer Alec Hitchman awaits! You can pay by cheque made payable to Kineton and District Local History Group, sent or delivered to Alec Hitchman, The Hills Farm, Pillerton Hersey, WARKS, CV35 0QQ, or by BACS to our bank business account:
name: Kineton and District Local History Group,
sort code: 40-43-19;
acc. no. 71281992. Please be sure to include your full name so we can correctly attribute your payment!
Or you can pay at the talk.
2021 Programme update:
Nov 19 Ellie Reid Dressing up the Past: the 1906 Warwick Pageant and the 20th century pageant movement in Warwickshire.
Dec 10 Christmas treats
2022
Jan 21 George Derbyshire: Arts and Crafts in the Cotswolds
Feb 18 James Ranahan: The Photographer’s Gaze: Viewing Warwickshire Since 1839
Mar 18 AGM
Official covid advice and regulations may change for better or worse in the coming months, so we will be assessing the programme one meeting at a time and we will confirm each event when we are reasonably confident that we can run it.
Other Society News
Warwickshire Local History Society
K&DLHG is affiliated to WLHS and our members are entitled to join their meetings.
Many other local societies are running their talk series via zoom! Check the Warwickshire Local History Society website for up-to-date lists. https://www.warwickshirehistory.org.uk
British Association for Local History. The Group is also a Member of BALH and they run lectures and talks which are open to our members, and some of which are available via Zoom. Check out their website at: balh.org.uk
Warwickshire in WWII
The link below takes you to a fascinating article about WWII in the locality, keep going to the end to read about PoW Camp 31 at Ettington.
Other local on-line offerings:
Birmingham Museum virtual tour https://www.birminghammuseums.org.uk/bmag/virtual-tour
Herefordshire Museum and Art Gallery: Life through a Lens virtual tour https://www.herefordshirelifethroughalens.org.uk/virtual-exhibitiontours/
Warwick Castle Virtual Tour, relevant to next Friday’s talk….
Sibford Ferris Dig Open Day Thursday 18th November 11.00 – 12.00. Oxford Archaeology and Gade Homes are showing the evidence of iron age occupation at their excavation in Sibford Ferris. Email planning@gadegroup.co.uk if you would like to attend. The OA blog is at https://blog.oxfordarchaeology.com/sibford-ferris
Don’t forget to check our own website at:
Kineton and District Local History Group (kinetonhistory.co.uk)
KDLHG Committee
| President | Robert Bearman MBE |
| Chairman | David Freke |
| Vice-Chairman | Roger Gaunt |
| Secretary | Ilona Sekacz |
| Treasurer | Alec Hitchman |
| Outings Secretary | Isobel Gill |
| Programme Secretary | Claire Roberts |
| Other committee members: | Rosemary Collier |
| George Lokuciejewski | |
| Catherine Petrie | |
| Pamela Redgrave | |
| Peter Waters |
Committee News. There has been no committee meeting since the October Newsletter, but I can report that a fortnight ago we submitted a new application to the Heritage Lottery Fund for help with financing the proposed archive room behind the stage. We hope to hear whether we have been successful before Christmas.
Date of next Committee meeting: 15th November, 7.00pm, at Pamela Redgrave’s home by kind invitation: 8 King John’s Road, Kineton, CV35 0HS
DF 14.11.21
Contact: David Freke
Email frekedj@globalnet.co.uk
07876 290044