Newsletter September 2022

NB   VENUE CHANGE!

Our September meeting on Friday 16th will be at the METHODIST HALL Southam Road Kineton, usual time 7.30pm.

Our first talk after the summer break will begiven by Norman Hyde entitled Tennis the Leamington Way: the oldest tennis club in the world and it’s importance to Leamington over 170 years.  

Norman will describe how the club has been a significant venue both locally and nationally and how some of its members played an important part in the expansion of the town, the club and town’s role in the establishment and growth of lawn tennis and more

Norman has been a member at the court club for more than 35 years and was its captain for ten years from the late 1990s. He has recently published the history of the club, and he is also known as the motorcyclist who broke the World Sidecar Land Speed Record in 1972 –  a man after my own heart!
^Former club member Alfred Lyttelton. former MP for Warwick and Leamington and the first man to play cricket and football for England.”

Remember the venue has been changed to the Methodist Hall, but refreshments will be available as usual after the talk, courtesy of Ilona. 

The group being shown an enigmatic carving on a house corner

KDLHG SUMMER OUTINGS.   

Our last summer visit was an afternoon in Chipping Norton on Friday August 12th led in lively fashion by Sean Callery, a Blue Badge Guide.  Ten members attended, down from the expected numbers, as illness and the excessive heat (remember that?) understandably kept some members away.  In the event we were able to take advantage of the shade of buildings and trees to stay tolerably comfortable.  Sean showed us the lower parts of the town, not touched by the main road we have all navigated, explaining how settlement moved uphill leaving the earlier settlement as a series of humps in a field adjacent to the church.  The town was a centre for the medieval Cotswold wool trade and the magnificent church of St Mary the Virgin is a result of the prosperity that wool brought. 

It has a rare medieval octagonal porch, with roof bosses depicting grotesques including a lamb savaging/hugging? a wolf – medieval humour or an allegorical reversal of the social order?  A modern feature of the church is a deteriorating 19th century side-chapel devoted to the Dawkins family – yes, the ancestors of that Dawkins, the famous atheist – apparently the condition of the chapel is the subject of debate between the family and the church authorities.   

In the churchyard are many early gravestones, including a splendid rococo headstone of 1763 commemorating Phillis the wife of John Humphreys, Rat Catcher – he must have been a character of some consequence to have been able to afford such a memorial.   

A little up the hill from the church are the elegant Almshouses – “The Work and Gift of HENRY CORNISH 1640”  –  which still fulfil their original function.  A redundant chimney ensures a pleasing symmetry. 

Just outside the town is Bliss Tweed Mill, with its distinctive domed chimney-base – the plunger –  a landmark for miles around.  The owners built themselves imposing houses opposite one another within sight of the factory, houses between which the workers must have passed twice a day.  Only the gate pillars survive of the largest mansion – look on my works ye mighty  etc.!

Our thanks to Isobel for arranging such a stimulating and informative visit,  which brought to life a town often unjustly considered an impediment to travel.  

The group at ilmington observing a modern pond

A round-up of our Summer visits:  We have been lucky with the weather this year, with all our visits blessed with sunny dry conditions, once possibly too hot, but we must always have a little complaint.  Our guides have been expert founts of information, ranging in date from a deep analysis of iron age and Roman territorial concerns around Ilmington, via the surprising vistas from Pittern Hill,  to the Victorian primary school in Chipping Norton which became a recording studio for Status Quo, Duran Duran, Radio Head and Gerry Raffery among others, and is now a Dental Practice.,

At Ilmington, forsaking the archaeological heights of Windmill Hill, we visited the site of the medieval manor house to viewed a lake, which appears ancient and is surrounded by promising-looking humps and bumps.  It turns out to have been excavated in the 1970s and the bumps are the spoil heaps. 

Mary Snow’s headstone with its sinister arrow

The church is a treasure trove of architectural features and memorials, perhaps the most poignant is in the churchyard – a fallen headstone dated 1714 which features a skull and crossed bones with an arrow piercing the skull.  Did the unfortunate Mary Snow, who died “in her prime”,  succumb to some sort of head injury or brain disease?  It’s rare for such details about cause of death to be even hinted at on 18th century memorials. 

 

The view from the top of the windmill mound. Many thanks to Julian Barnard for the photo.

Our visit to Pittern Hill was on another hot evening, and our guide Brian Lewis was unable to complete the tour, but not before expounding expertly on the development of this little-known area so close to Kineton.  The views from the ridge are wide ranging.  The Listed barn at Longbourne Farm (previously Pittern Hill Farm) has a chequered history, ably researched by Brian.  It still retains its historic character as a rather grand statement representing the flowering of agricultural confidence and prosperity in the early to mid-nineteenth century, cruelly cut down by the rural depression which lasted until the 20th century. 

The party was quite informal, and near the end a splinter group became engaged in lengthy discussions with a local resident with a remarkable history ….

Our afternoon visit to Chipping Norton was an attempt to widen the appeal to members who might be less willing to come out in evenings, particularly if the weather is less benign than this season’s.   In the event, ironically, the weather proved to be too extreme for some potential attendees, albeit not in the usual wet and windy fashion.  As with many of our visits to “familiar” locations, Chipping Norton turned out to have surprising and fascinating stories to tell, and our Blue Badge Guide, Sean Callery, has other local villages in his repertoire, so we may see more of him in the future.  I am always on the lookout for interesting graffiti in churches and St Mary’s did not disappoint – it contains the only medieval spiral graffiti I have seen in more than 100 local churches I’ve visited.  It’s inscribed on the frame of a door, and is probably a charm to trap the devil,.

Isobel, Rosemary and DF put together a varied and stimulating summer of outings, and we look forward to see what 2023 will bring.

The 2022-23 Programme

Please note that Rosemary Collier and Roy Smart have swapped their October and November dates, the table below is correct

DateSpeaker Topic
16 SeptemberNorman Hyde ‘Tennis the Leamington Way.’ the oldest tennis club in the world and its importance to Leamington over 170 years.
21 OctoberRoy Smart ‘David Beatty – The Last Naval Hero’ fame and celebrity following the Battle of Jutland, the greatest naval battle in history.
18 NovemberRosemary Collier  A Potted History of the National Vegetable Research Station, Wellesbourne
9 DecemberRichard Churchley ‘Christmas Songs Through the Ages’ the Middle Ages to the 1940s
20 Jan 2023Beat Kümin ‘For a Good Cause – Church Ales and Early Modern Drinking Culture.’
17 Feb 2023David Fry The Silk Ribbon Industry of Coventry’
17 March 2023AGM  
    

Community Archive Project update

As you will know we have been pursuing a project to construct a space in the village hall to house our archives, and those of other village organisations who my wish to store their own archives there.  With the blessing of the Village Hall Association we obtained planning permission in 2019 for an extension to the mezzanine behind the stage.  Covid intervened and the planning permission 3-year timetable to start the project was up on September 3rd 2022 (covid restrictions meant little could be done for much of that time).  To avoid the hassle and expense of having to re-apply for planning we completed the first stage of the project – the insertion of a new firedoor –  in time to beat the deadline (and the car park works).  

Our thanks to the Village Hall Association and to KADS whose  members cleared the clutter from the backstage space. 

Other Societies’ Events.

Warwickshire Local History Society

Lighthorne History Society Friday 23 Sept, The Czech Army in south Warwickshire in WW II, by John Berkeley, Lighthorne Village Hall, 8 pm.   In World War II 4000 Czech army volunteers escaped Czechoslovakia and formed the Czech Free Army in Britain. Units of their field artillery were trained and quartered in Moreton Hall, Moreton Paddox, Walton Hall and Kineton.

Long Itchington History Group. Wednesday 14th September  “Southam “Bobbies” 100 years of Southam Police.   LindaDoyle,  Village Community Centre,7.30 pm.  £3.00 

Wellesbourne & Walton Local History Group Wednesday 26th October 2022 at 7:30 pm The Mediaeval Wall Paintings in the Guild Chapel Stratford”  Talk by Pamela Devine and Janet Hall

All are welcome –Wellesbourne Village Hall. Entry for non-members £3. Contact Charlie and Peggy Gilbert on 01789 841805 or Email treblig99@outlook.com

Or see their website: sites.google.com/site/wellesbournelocalhistory/

Leamington History Group .  Monday, 26th September  Sir William Lyons and Jaguar Cars,  talk by Tony Merrygold  (Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust). at 7.30 pm at the Oddfellows Hall, New Street.  Refreshments will be available after the meeting.

British Association for Local History.  The Kineton Group is a Member of BALH and they run lectures and talks which are open to our members.  Check their website www.balh.org.uk for upcoming talks available virtually.

Gresham College has series of history talks available digitally, here is the next 3 months’ programme

HISTORY LECTURES BY MONTH AT GRESHAM COLLEGE – includes the short link for print: 

September

Weds 14, 6pm Progresses: Royal Courts on the Move in Tudor and Stuart England Professor Simon Thurley; David Game College, Aldgate/ Online/ Watch Later gres.hm/royal-progresses   

Weds 21, 6pm, Gods of Prehistoric Britain Professor Ronald Hutton, David Game College, Aldgate/ Online/ Watch Later gres.hm/prehistoric-gods

Tues 27, 6pm,  War and Peace in Europe from Hitler to Putin Professor Richard J Evans, David Game College, Aldgate/ Online/ Watch Later gres.hm/hitler-putin 

October

Thurs 6, 6pm, Tuberculosis: A Cultural History Professor Joanna Bourke, Barnard’s Inn Hall/ Online/ Watch Later gres.hm/tb-history 

Weds 12, 6pm,  The Lost Cities and Amazing Heritage of Kenya, Robin Walker, David Game College, Aldgate/ Online/ Watch Later gres.hm/kenya-cities

Mon 17, 6pm, Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian Revolution, Sudhir Hazareesingh, David Game College, Aldgate/ Online/ Watch Later gres.hm/toussaint-louverture

Tues 18, 6pm  Britain’s Foreign Policy in a Fast-Changing World, Peter Ricketts, Mercers’ Hall/ Online/ Watch Later gres.hm/britains-fp

Thurs 20, 6pm The Politics of Fabric and Fashion in Africa 1960-Today Christine Checinska David Game College, Aldgate/ Online/ Watch Later, gres.hm/africa-fashion

November

Tues 1, 6pm, Partition of British India, 75 Years On Kavita Puri, David Game College, Aldgate/ Online/ Watch Later gres.hm/india-partition

Mon 7, 6pm The Trials of Alexei Navalny Thomas Grant QC  Barnard’s Inn Hall,  Online/ Watch Later gres.hm/navalny-trials

Tues 8, 6pm, Why did Europe’s Economies Diverge from Asia? Professor Martin Daunton, Barnard’s Inn Hall, Online/ Watch Later gres.hm/diverge-asia

Thurs 10, 6pm, Polio: A Cultural History, Professor Joanna Bourke Barnards’ Inn Hall, Online/ Watch Later gres.hm/polio-history 

Weds 16, 6pm The Irish Question and the Ulster Question Then and Now, Professor Vernon Bogdanor David Game College, Aldgate/ Online/ Watch  Later gres.hm/irish-ulster

Weds 23, 6pm Lives in Limbo: Jewish Refugess in Portugal, 1940-45 Professor Marion Kaplan, Barnard’s Inn Hall/ Online/ Watch Later gres.hm/refugees-portugal 

December

Mon 5, 6pm London’s Air: The 70th Anniversary of the Great London Smog Visiting Professor Ian Mudway, Barnard’s Inn Hall/ Online/ Watch later  gres.hm/londons-air (this is an Environmental Health Professor, not strictly History, but should be of interest to local societies)

Tues 6, 1pm, The Israel-Palestine Conflict: Religion, Violence and Peacebuilding by Professor Jolyon Mitchell, Barnard’s Inn Hall/ Online/ Watch later  gres.hm/israel-palestine 

Weds 7, 6pm, Paganism in Roman Britain, Professor Ronald Hutton, David Game College/ Online/ Watch Later gres.hm/paganism-roman  

Don’t forget to check our own website at:

Kineton and District Local History Group (kinetonhistory.co.uk)

Membership.   If you are, or would like to become, a Member of the group, your 2022 subscription is

due (still £10pa!).  Our 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,  For queries contact Alec on alec.hitchman@btinternet.com You can also join at any talk.

With our bank now charging for payments by cheque or cash, we would urge those who can to please pay by BACS to our bank business account:

name: Kineton and District Local History Group,

sort code: 40-43-19;

acc. no. 71281992. Please include your full name so we can correctly attribute your payment.

2022-23 KDLHG Committee

President:                               Dr Robert Bearman MBE                  

Chairman                                David Freke                           

Vice-Chairman                        Roger Gaunt                           

Secretary                                 Ilona Sekacz                           

Treasurer                                Alec Hitchman                       

Outings Secretary                   vacant                                     

Programme Secretary             Claire Roberts                            

Other committee members

Rosemary Collier

Isobel Gill

George Lokuciejewski

Catherine Petrie (PR)

Pamela Redgrave (Membership)

Committee News.  The committee met on September 9th.  A short report will appear in the October Newsletter

Date of next Committee meeting:  28th November via Zoom 7.00pm, 

Contact David Freke tel. 01295 670516  mob. 07876 290044   email:  djfreke@gmail.com

                                                                                                     NB change of email address

DF 13.09.22

Newsletter August 2022

KDLHG SUMMER OUTINGS.   

Our last summer visit will be an afternoon in Chipping Norton on Friday August 12th at 2.30pm (£10.00).   We will be shown round the historic town of Chipping Norton by Sean Callery, a Blue Badge Guide.  The town was a centre for the medieval Cotswold wool trade and the magnificent church of St Mary the Virgin is a result of the prosperity that wool brought to the town. 

Also of note are the Almshouses, the Guild Hall and the neoclassical Town Hall.  Just outside the town is Bliss Tweed Mill, with its distinctive domed chimney-base, a landmark for miles around. 

Hear tales of the town that walked up the hill, a policeman saved by a thin skull, how trees cure headaches, and see where a vicar lost out to a king and the sites of an alarming number of riots!  .

Meet at New Street Car Park (free), in Hill Lawn Ct,  OX7 5NF opposite the entrance to Sainsbury’s car park.

NB meeting time 2.30pm

Report on our 15th July outing exploring the new bridleway on Pittern Hill

Ventilator for water reservoir. Photo: Brian Lewis

Our former Chairman Brian Lewis has spent two decades campaigning and researching the historic bridleway on Pittern Hill above Kineton.  He has produced an attractive and informative guide to the features to be seen from the bridleway and its associated footpaths.  On a very hot evening Brian came to introduce the walk at the foot of Pittern Hill, leaving us to walk up past the forage tower (constructed from the top down!) and past Pittern Hill House and stables, now being converted to residential use.   Brian and Daphne rejoined us at the top of the hill and accompanied us for the first few hundred yards of the bridleway.  Unfortunately Brian became unwell, and was helped down the field, to be rescued by Daphne in their car, after being rested in a garden chair borrowed from Longbourne Farm’s garden.  I’m pleased to report that he made a full recovery.  So we lost our guide, but not before we had had the benefit of his detailed knowledge of the Pittern Hill landscape and its development.  The bridleway showed clearly as a wide stony track, winding past a windmill mound, reliably identified, as Brian has tracked down an historic map showing a windmill in approximately this location.  Passing the cows (and a distant bull) we viewed Pittern Hill Farm (now named Longbourne Farm) and its rather grand listed barn.  Brian gave us a full history of farm and its agricultural context. 

Our route then passed the site of Brookhampton Roman villa, which is large enough to compare with the recently discovered Broughton Estate villa.  We followed Brookhampton Lane before diving down past the sewage works to the River Dene, and then up again to King John’s Mound at the end of Castle Road.  This motte and bailey castle may or may not have anything to do with King John (see the similarly named King John’s Well nearby, and King John’s Lane in Edgehill).  The castle could be related to the anarchy of Stephen’s reign (1135-1154) or the rebellion in John’s (1199-1216), and is more likely to have been a local lord’s response to unrest rather than either King’s personal initiative.  Our recent talk by Ann Langley on allotments is relevant to Castle Road, which occupies the site of allotments visible on post-war aerial photos.  Our thanks to Brian and Daphne for enabling such an informative trip, I’m sure everybody present learned some surprising things about the immediate environs of the village.

The 2022-23 Programme

DateSpeakerTopic
12 August 2.30pmSean CalleryWalk around Chipping Norton
16 SeptemberNorman Hyde‘Tennis the Leamington Way.’ the oldest tennis club in the world and its importance to Leamington over 170 years.
21 OctoberRosemary CollierA Potted History of the National Vegetable Research Station, Wellesbourne
18 NovemberRoy Smart ‘David Beatty – The Last Naval Hero’ fame and celebrity following the Battle of Jutland, the greatest naval battle in history.
9 DecemberRichard Churchley‘Christmas Songs Through the Ages’ the Middle Ages to the 1940s
20 Jan 2023Beat Kümin‘For a Good Cause – Church Ales and Early Modern Drinking Culture.’
17 Feb 2023David FryThe Silk Ribbon Industry of Coventry’
17 March 2023AGM 

Other Societies’ Events.

Alcester and District Local History Society 

Wednesday 10th August.  The South Warwickshire Coin Hoard by Dr Stanley Ireland,  St Benedict’s High School, Alcester, 7.30pm.  The topic of this talk is the large hoard of Roman coins found locally during archaeological excavations and now on display in Warwick Museum.  

Warwickshire Local History Society

K&DLHG is affiliated to WLHS and our members are entitled to join their meetings.  Their summer outing to Middleton Hall, Tamworth, is planned for September 7th from 11.00am to 4.00pm: A morning tour of the hall followed by members’ choice of packed lunch or lunch in the cafe, with access to the hall and gardens for the rest of the day. 

Join Middleton Hall’s expert volunteer tour guides as they lead you on a journey through the Hall’s fascinating history which encompasses 900 years of exploration, discoveries and quirky characters. The oldest building on site dates back to 1285 and is believed to be the oldest domestic building in North Warwickshire. After a group tour in the morning you will then be free to explore the house and gardens at your leisure for the remainder of the day.  Price: WLHS members: £13.75; non WLHS members: £15.75. 

Ticket price includes tea and coffee on arrival, morning guided tour and access to house and gardens for remainder of the day.  It does NOT include lunch but you can either bring your own lunch to eat in their outdoor picnic area or visit the café nearby.

The buildings of Middleton Hall are grade II* listed and there are multiple steep staircases, no lifts and areas of uneven ground. All tours involve a considerable amount of walking, are up to 75 minutes long and are unsuitable for those with mobility limitations. However, an alternative ground floor Hall tour can be arranged in advance and there is an interactive tour available in the entrance.

Booking details are included on the Middleton Hall booking form.   Please visit WLHS’s Eventbrite page: WLHS Members,’ Meeting Tickets, Eventbrite, to register your interest for this talk.  A link and joining instructions will then be sent to you a few days before the event.

Lighthorne History Society Friday 23 Sept, The Czech Army in south Warwickshire in WW II, by John Berkeley, Lighthorne Village Hall, 8 pm.   In World War II 4000 Czech army volunteers escaped Czechoslovakia and formed the Czech Free Army in Britain. Units of their field artillery were trained and quartered in Moreton Hall, Moreton Paddox, Walton Hall and Kineton.

Long Itchington History Group. Wednesday 14th September  “Southam “Bobbies” 100 years of Southam Police.   LindaDoyle,  Village Community Centre,7.30 pm.  £3.00 

Kenilworth History and Archaeology Society.  Monday12th Sept.  Coventry in the Civil War John ChesterWe meet at 7.30pm for a prompt start at 7.45 in The Senior Citizens’ Club off Abbey End Car Park, behind The Almanack in Kenilworth Town Centre. All are welcome. Entry is free for members and entry for non-members costs £2.

Wellesbourne & Walton Local History Group Wednesday 26th October 2022 at 7:30 pm The Mediaeval Wall Paintings in the Guild Chapel Stratford”  Talk by Pamela Devine and Janet Hall

All are welcome –Wellesbourne Village Hall. Entry for non-members £3. Contact Charlie and Peggy Gilbert on 01789 841805 or Email treblig99@outlook.com

Or see our website: sites.google.com/site/wellesbournelocalhistory/

Leamington History Group .  Monday, 26th September  Sir William Lyons and Jaguar Cars,  talk by Tony Merrygold  (Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust). at 7.30 pm at the Oddfellows Hall, New Street.  Refreshments will be available after the meeting.

 

The Sealed Knot.  Sunday .August 28 – Monday August 29 The Battle of Edgehill.   THE BATTLE of EDGEHILL is brought to life with a major battle of musket, pike, canon and cavalry.   Come and see the civilian and military displays. Hosted by Oliver Cromwell’s Brigade. 

At Home Farm, Compton Verney, Warks.  CV35 9HJ

British Association for Local History.  The Kineton Group is a Member of BALH and they run lectures and talks which are open to our members.  Check their website www.balh.org.uk for upcoming talks available virtually.

Don’t forget to check our own website at:

Kineton and District Local History Group (kinetonhistory.co.uk)

Membership.   If you are, or would like to become, a Member of the group, your 2022 subscription is

due (still £10pa!).  Our 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,  For queries contact Alec on alec.hitchman@btinternet.com You can also join at any talk.

With our bank now charging for payments by cheque or cash, we would urge those who can to please pay by BACS to our bank business account:

name: Kineton and District Local History Group,

sort code: 40-43-19;

acc. no. 71281992. Please include your full name so we can correctly attribute your payment.

2022-23 KDLHG Committee

President:                               Dr Robert Bearman MBE                  

Chairman                                David Freke                           

Vice-Chairman                        Roger Gaunt                           

Secretary                                 Ilona Sekacz                           

Treasurer                                Alec Hitchman                       

Outings Secretary                   vacant                                     

Programme Secretary             Claire Roberts                            

Other committee members

Rosemary Collier

Isobel Gill

George Lokuciejewski

Catherine Petrie (PR)

Pamela Redgrave (Membership)

Committee News.  There has been no committee meeting since the July Newsletter report

Date of next Committee meeting:  5th September via Zoom 7.00pm, 

Contact David Freke tel. 01295 670516  mob. 07876 290044  

email:  djfreke@gmail.com NB change of email address

DF 02.08.22

Newsletter July 2022

NEWSLETTER  12 July 2022

K&DLHG SUMMER OUTINGS.   

Our July outing will explore the new bridleway on Pittern Hill (6.30pm July 15th,  £5.00). 

Ventilator for water reservoir
Photo: Brian Lewis

Our long-term member and previous Chairman, Brian Lewis, spent two decades campaigning to re-establish the historic bridleway on Pittern Hill above Kineton.  It was eventually added to the Definitive Map of footpaths by the Highways Authority in 2019.  The route gives great views of the village and the wider landscape as well as encompassing many historic features researched and described by Brian in an informative leaflet. 

The route passes the site of a Roman villa, which is grand enough to compare with the recently discovered Broughton Estate villa.  Other features include evidence of medieval farming, a 19th century “model” farm, an Edwardian Arts and Crafts house, evidence of Kineton’s early water supply systems, as well as the sites of wind and water mills, and the railway.

Meet at the entrance to Alchemie at the bottom of Pittern Hill, 6.30pm  

NB The route involves some steep places.

Our last summer visit will be an afternoon in Chipping Norton (August 12th 2.30pm, £10.00).   Click here to view flier for more details. 

To book for these outings email djfreke@gmail.com and either pay on arrival, or by BACS direct to our bank account: Kineton and District Local History Group, sort code:  40-43-19,  business acc. no. 71281992.  Please indicate what your payment is for.

Report on our Friday 17th June visit to the village of Ilmington,  The street layout reflects its medieval origins, but there are prehistoric, Roman and Saxon elements in its history.   Our guide, archaeologist Brian Brock, was keen to establish the long view of Ilmington’s past, literally – he marched us up to the top of a hill to demonstrate the landscape context, which clearly affected the early settlements and communications.  He made a convincing case for the area being a bridge between large territories to the east and the west, connected by sight lines and long distance routeways.  He treated a kissing gate, isolated in the middle of a wheat field, as a lectern, and pointed out the extent of a Roman site, not a “fort” despite being bounded by large ditches, all now invisible beneath the ripening cereal.  He then marched us down the hill again to the village.  The original medieval main street now peters out to become a footpath alongside a ditch behind the manor.  The site of an earlier moated manor house is now confused by a large modern pond and humps and bumps of excavated material. 

In the church Brian presented a collection of items collected from the fields, from Mesolithic flints to medieval pottery.  Ilmington had a strong catholic presence throughout the religious controversies of the early modern period, and several 17th and 18th catholic memorials can be seen in the church, identifiable by the inclusion of cross symbols and RIP inscriptions.

Brian’s extensive collection of artefacts on display

Brian’s enthusiasm for the light which these artefacts can throw on Ilmington’s past was infectious, but Our July outing will explore the new bridleway on Pittern Hill (6.30pm July 15th,  £5.00). ultimately time was called by his wife, who arrived to draw the visit to a close.  

Our thanks to Rosemary Collier for her efforts in organising a fascinating evening.

The 2022-23 Programme

15 July  6.30pm  Brian LewisPittern Hill bridleway walk 
12 August 2.30pmSean CalleryWalk around Chipping Norton
16 SeptemberNorman Hyde‘Tennis the Leamington Way.’ the oldest tennis club in the world and its importance to Leamington over 170 years.
21 OctoberRosemary CollierA Potted History of the National Vegetable Research Station, Wellesbourne
18 NovemberRoy Smart ‘David Beatty – The Last Naval Hero’ fame and celebrity following the Battle of Jutland, the greatest naval battle in history.
9 DecemberRichard Churchley‘Christmas Songs Through the Ages’ the Middle Ages to the 1940s
20 Jan 2023Beat Kümin‘For a Good Cause – Church Ales and Early Modern Drinking Culture.’
17 Feb 2023David FryThe Silk Ribbon Industry of Coventry’
17 March 2023AGM 

Membership.   If you are, or would like to become, a Member of the group, your 2022 subscription is due (still £10pa!).  Our 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,  For queries contact Alec on alec.hitchman@btinternet.com You can also join at any talk.

 With our bank now charging for payments by cheque or cash, we would urge those who can to please pay by BACS to our bank business account:

name: Kineton and District Local History Group,

sort code: 40-43-19;

acc. no. 71281992. Please include your full name so we can correctly attribute your payment.

Other Societies’ Events.

Wednesday 10th August  Alcester and district Local History Society  The South Warwickshire Coin Hoard by Dr Stanley Ireland,  St Benedict’s High School, Alcester, 7.30pm.  The topic of this talk is the large hoard of Roman coins found locally during excavations.

Warwickshire Local History Society

K&DLHG is affiliated to WLHS and our members are entitled to join their meetings.

Sat  16 July 2022 Edgehill BattlefieldWalk. 

Please visit WLHS’s Eventbrite page: WLHS Members,’ Meeting Tickets, Eventbrite, to register your interest for this talk.  A link and joining instructions will then be sent to you a few days before the event. https://www.warwickshirehistory.org.uk

British Association for Local History.  The Kineton Group is also a Member of BALH and they run lectures and talks which are open to our members. 

Check their website www.balh.org.uk for upcoming talks available virtually.

Don’t forget to check our own website at: Kineton and District Local History Group (kinetonhistory.co.uk)

2022-23 KDLHG Committee

President:                     Dr Robert Bearman MBE                  

Chairman                     David Freke               Other committee members

Vice-Chairman             Roger Gaunt               Rosemary Collier 

Secretary                     Ilona Sekacz              Isobel Gill

Treasurer                     Alec Hitchman            George Lokuciejewski

Outings Secretary       vacant                        Catherine Petrie (PR)

 Programme Secretary Claire Roberts    Pamela Redgrave

(Membership)       

Committee News.  The committee met, via Zoom, on 11th July.  The treasurer confirmed that our financial situation remains healthy, and that our membership stands at 60.  Sources of funding for the Archive Room construction were considered, and an application to Stratford District Council’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund was agreed, as was a raffle at each meeting, starting in September.  We need to start the project on site to avoid having to re-apply for planning permission, and it was agreed to commission the installation of the new firedoor.  Claire provided a list of potential speakers for 2022-23 and a shortlist was agreed for Claire to commence booking. Options for outings in 2023 were discussed, and several committee members offering to explore contacts.  

Date of next Committee meeting:  5th September via Zoom 7.00pm, 

Contact David Freke tel 01295 670516  mob. 07876 290044   email:  djfreke@gmail.com

                                                                                                     NB change of email address

DF 12.07.22

Newsletter May/June 2022

K&DLHG SUMMER OUTINGS.   Our first summer outing of 2022, on Friday 17th June, is to the village of Ilmington, just the other side of Halford.  The street layout reflects its medieval origins, but there are prehistoric, Roman and Saxon elements in its history.  Ilmington also had a strong catholic presence throughout the religious controversies of the early modern period.  We will be led by Brian Brock, meeting 6.30pm at the Red Lion, in Front Street – medieval “Back End”!.  Cost £5.00

Our outings in July and August are to explore the new bridleway on Pittern Hill (6.30pm July 15th,  £5.00) and an afternoon in Chipping Norton (August 12th 2.30pm, £10.00).   A flier is attached with more details.  To book for any of these outings email djfreke@gmail.com and either pay on arrival, or by BACS direct to our bank account: Kineton and District Local History Group, sort code:  40-43-19,  business acc. no. 71281992.  Please indicate what your payment is for.

Morris dancers in Ludlow

Report on April’s talk and performance by Alan Benjamin, entitled The History and Music of Morris Dancing .  Alan’s presentation was as informal and entertaining as we anticipated.  He took us through the history of the traditional instruments, playing several pipes (including one with only one hole), and the melodion.  He demonstrated the different rhythms of the “chorus” and “figure” which are repeated throughout each dance.  The importance of hats he demonstrated by showing his own very battered example.  We learned the role of the fool, and the captain.  He was cautious about determining the origin of the name Morris.  The Oxford English Dictionary comes down in favour of “Moorish” with the earliest literary reference dating from 1458, probably initially in the sense of “outlandish” rather than suggesting that English Morris dancing was actually similar to the dances of the Moors.  Alan recounted the different forms the dance has taken in different regions, –  the multicoloured streamers and black faces (now eye-masks) in Ludlow and the clogs in the north.  He related the Morris dancing  phenomenon to the early 20th century revival of folk dance and song spearheaded by Cecil Sharpe, culminating in the publication of The National Song Book, which many of us remember from our school days.  Ilona briefly abandoned her tea and coffee preparations to thank Alan for a splendidly informative and entertaining evening.

Lighthorne allotments being opened?  Photo: Our Warwickshire

Report on May 20th talk The Early Allotments in Warwickshire by Anne Langley.  Anne gave us a thoroughly researched account of the development of local allotments, from informal grants compensating agricultural workers for the loss of grazing and other rights s a result of enclosures, to the formation of Allotment Associations.  During the enclosures of the 19th century landlords were obliged to let small areas of land to the parish poor to help eke out their meagre wages or inadequate poor relief.  These plots were sometimes called “field gardens”.  Other names such as The Poor and The Promised Land (both names occur in Tysoe parish) indicate areas of allotments.  Early allotment landlords made rules governing who would be eligible (church-going often obligatory), what holders could do and when they could it (eg Sabbath observance restrictions), and what they could do with their produce.  Even the most enlightened regulations would seem to us to be paternalistic.  Our own local political activists, Joseph Ashby of Tysoe and Joseph Text Box: Lighthorne allotments being opened?  Photo: Our WarwickshireArch from Barford, both came from farm labouring backgrounds, and campaigned for allotments, among other issues, supported by Edward Raleigh Bolton King a major landowner in Chadshunt, who established allotments in Gaydon.  A series of acts of parliament in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries have attempted to regulate the legal aspects of allotments but some are still under threat, as in Wellesbourne, where many of our members will have noticed the “Save Our Allotments” sign on the approach to the village.      

2022-3 Programme:  NB The October and November talks have been swapped around, the table below is correct at the time of writingthe  

   
17 June 6.30pmBrian BrockWalk around Ilmington 
15 July  6.30pm  Brian LewisPittern Hill bridleway walk 
12 August 2.30pmSean CalleryWalk around Chipping Norton
16 SeptemberNorman Hyde‘Tennis the Leamington Way.’ the oldest tennis club in the world and its importance to Leamington over 170 years.
21 OctoberRosemary CollierA Potted History of the National Vegetable Research Station, Wellesbourne
18 NovemberRoy Smart ‘David Beatty – The Last Naval Hero’ fame and celebrity following the Battle of Jutland, the greatest naval battle in history.
9 DecemberRichard Churchley‘Christmas Songs Through the Ages’ the Middle Ages to the 1940s
20 Jan 2023Beat Kümin‘For a Good Cause – Church Ales and Early Modern Drinking Culture.’
17 Feb 2023David FryThe Silk Ribbon Industry of Coventry’
17 March 2023AGM 

Membership.   If you are, or would like to become, a Member of the group, your 2022 subscription is due (still £10pa!).  Our 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,  For queries contact Alec on alec.hitchman@btinternet.com You can also join at any talk.

 With our bank now charging for payments by cheque or cash, we would urge those who can to please pay by BACS to our bank business account:

name: Kineton and District Local History Group,

sort code: 40-43-19;

acc. no. 71281992. Please include your full name so we can correctly attribute your payment.

Other Societies’ Events.

Saturday July 2nd CBA West Midlands  AGM and Summer Field Day. 

The Making of Tysoe Project is an ambitious community project and the day is being run in collaboration with the Tysoe Heritage Research Group

‘CBA West Midlands members and members of the community are invited to join with the Tysoe Heritage Research Group to hear more about the project and its work to date. There will be several short talks in the morning to explain what is being done, while the afternoon will include a walk around parts of the village to look at its historic setting, and visits to look at the church, and a demonstration of our work to record the graveyard around the church. There will also be a display of finds from field walking, and other materials, that may be visited throughout the day.’ 

The venue has been confirmed at the Tysoe C of E Primary School, School Lane, Tysoe , CV35 0SD.  Non-CBA West Midland members are welcome to this free event.  Booking via Eventbrite preferred:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cba-west-midlands-summer-field-day-2022-tysoe-warwickshire-tickets-339898283917

or use the booking form above.

Monday 27th June.   Leamington History Group.  Fetch the Engine: a history of firefighting in Warwickshire by Mike Bunn.  Oddfellows Hall, New Street, Leamington, 7.30pm

Wednesday 10th August  Alcester and district Local History Society  The South Warwickshire Coin Hoard by Dr Stanley Ireland,  St Benedict’s High School, Alcester, 7.30pm.  The topic of this talk is the large hoard of Roman coins found locally during excavations.

Warwickshire Local History Society

K&DLHG is affiliated to WLHS and our members are entitled to join their meetings.

Sat  16 July 2022 Edgehill BattlefieldWalk. 

Please visit WLHS’s Eventbrite page: WLHS Members,’ Meeting Tickets, Eventbrite, to register your interest for this talk.  A link and joining instructions will then be sent to you a few days before the event.

Sunday 19th June  National Gardens Scheme  Maxstoke Castle Open Day  Castle and gardensopen between 11.00am and 5.00pm by kind permission of the Fetherston-Dilke family.  Adults £8.00 concessions £5.00.  No wheelchair access inside, and no dogs. Proceeds to Centre of England Riding for the Disabled, and National Garden Scheme

Saturday 9th July  MoD DM Kineton Station Open Day celebrating 100 years of ammunition technical training in the British Army.  Flypast, bands, parachute display, refreshments, military stands, children’s entertainment.  Gates open 12 noon, Marlborough Barracks, CV47 2UL

British Association for Local History.  The Kineton Group is also a Member of BALH and they run lectures and talks which are open to our members. 

Check their website www.balh.org.uk for upcoming talks available virtually.

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. 

https://www.forces.net/heritage/history/doorstep-history-german-soldiers-buried-warwickshire?fbclid=IwAR2glVLC2bOpFyt0W1hkJRPiG_zjVhlc7d-y4KjAfZ3uBySlvBj7w63esv0

Don’t forget to check our own website at:

Kineton and District Local History Group (kinetonhistory.co.uk)

2022-23 KDLHG Committee

President:                               Dr Robert Bearman MBE                  

Chairman                                David Freke                            Other committee members

 Vice-Chairman                       Roger Gaunt                           Rosemary Collier 

Secretary                                 Ilona Sekacz                           George Lokuciejewski           

Treasurer                                Alec Hitchman                         Catherine Petrie

 Outings Secretary                   vacant                                     Pamela Redgrave       

  Programme Secretary            Claire Roberts                        Isobel Gill

Committee News.  The committee met via Zoom on 14th March.

Date of next Committee meeting:  11th July via Zoom 4.00pm, 

Contact David Freke tel 01295 670516  mob. 07876 290044   email:  djfreke@gmail.com

NB change of email address

Newsletter April 2022

NEWSLETTER, 18th April 2022

I hope you all took advantage of the untypically good weather we enjoyed  over the Bank Holiday weekend. The spring has decided it’s OK come out.

Morris Dancing, like Mumming, is a rural tradition that has undergone a revival, and enthusiasts are often quite evangelical.  Again, some will remember Stephen Wass and his lively performance in a horse costume, prior to persuading some of our members to risk their fingers in a stick bashing dance (see picture for an idea of how it should be done).

At present there are no mandatory covid-related restrictions on the use of the village hall, so we expect to present a normal evening, with refreshments.  However, we advise that masks be worn when moving around, unless taking refreshments, and that the hand washing facilities be used. 

Review of AGM 18th March  

The AGM was overseen by David Freke as our President was unable to attend, but Robert Bearman had agreed to continue to serve as President for the coming year.  The agenda and the Chairman’s and Treasurer’s reports had been circulated, and were approved unanimously.  Peter Waters retired from the committee and was thanked for his contributions to the group in this capacity for 6 years,  He has generously agreed to continue to audit our accounts.  The meeting elected the following committee:

President:Robert Bearman MBE
Chairman:David Freke 
Vice-Chairman:Roger Gaunt 
Secretary:Ilona Sekacz 
Treasurer:Alec Hitchman   
Outings Secretary:Vacant
Programme Secretary:Claire Roberts 
Other committee members:
Rosemary Collier   
George Lokuciejewski 
Catherine Petrie  
Pamela Redgrave  
Isobel Gill 

The AGM was followed by James Ranahan’s postponed talk The Photographer’s Gaze: viewing Warwickshire since 1839.  James’s position as archivist at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, and previously the Photographic Archivist at the Library of Birmingham, has given him intimate knowledge of the major collections of historic photographs of the West Midlands and Warwickshire.  He used this experience to illustrate how individual local photographers exploited technical advances and how they approached the subjects of their photographs — “the photographers’ gaze”. 

The earliest photographers captured notable individuals and places, but this was quickly followed by attempts to emulate “fine art”, with posed compositions of subjects familiar to Victorian Royal Academicians.  These often required the compilation of multiple images to render the subject, and we saw an affecting sickbed scene by Henry Peach Robinson which could have been a painting..  Views of local tourist beauty spots became important as people acquired greater mobility through the bicycle, the charabanc and the motor car.  The rise of the photograph as record was shown with a picture bowler-hatted archaeologists from 1923.  This function continues to this day of course, and James showed an example of an aerial photograph, still an important branch of archaeological investigation.  Major enterprises use photographs as records and PR, and we saw historic pictures of RSC productions – Paul Robeson as Othello for example. 

The introduction of the Kodak Box Brownie (1900) and 120mm roll film brought photography to the masses, and “snaps” are still a part of most people’s personal archive, although now these are more likely to be digital and stored on phones than in family albums.   James’s review of almost two centuries of photography showed how a once elite occupation for specialists has become completely a part of everyday life, to the point where sometimes it seems more important to digitally record (and share) an event than actually experience it!  Steve gale gave our vote of thanks, pointing out that it is estimated that about 55,000 pictures are taken every second, over 90% on smart phones.

2022-3 Programme: 

22 AprilAlan Benjamin‘The History and Music of Morris Dancing’ with instrumental accompaniment.
20 MayAnne Langley‘Early allotments in Warwickshire’ a major institution of Victorian village life
   
17th June6.30pmGuided walk around Ilmington
Julytbc 
12 August2.30 pmWalk around Chipping Norton with Blue Badge guide
   
16 SeptemberNorman Hyde‘Tennis the Leamington Way.’ the oldest tennis club in the world and its importance to Leamington over 170 years.
21 OctoberRoy Smart‘David Beatty – The Last Naval Hero’ fame and celebrity following the Battle of Jutland, the greatest naval battle in history.
18 NovemberRosemary CollierA Potted History of the National Vegetable research Station, Wellesbourne
9 DecemberRichard Churchley‘Christmas Songs Through the Ages’ the Middle Ages to the 1940s
20 Jan 2023Beat Kümin‘For a Good Cause – Church Ales and Early Modern Drinking Culture.’
17 Feb 2023David FryThe Silk Ribbon Industry of Coventry’
17 March 2023AGM 

Membership.   If you are, or would like to become, a Member of the group, your 2022 subscription is due (still £10pa!).  Our 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,

With our bank now charging for payments by cheque or cash, we would urge those who can to please pay by BACS to our bank business account:

name: Kineton and District Local History Group,

sort code: 40-43-19;

acc. no. 71281992. Please include your full name so we can correctly attribute your payment.

You can join at any talk.

Other Society Events.

Warmington Heritage Group

Thursday April 21stth Chris Pickford Notable Buildings of Warwickshire. in the Village Hall at 7.30pm

Thursday May 19th  Jude Barrett Art and Archaeology in the Village Hall at 7.30pm

Warwickshire Local History Society

K&DLHG is affiliated to WLHS and our members are entitled to join their meetings.

Tue 26 April 2022 at 19:30 The next WLHG talk via Zoom :is by Maria Tauber Sir Roger Newdigate at Arbury.  Go to  www.warwickshirehistory.org.uk  for link to join the meeting

British Association for Local History.  The Kineton Group is also a Member of BALH and they run lectures and talks which are open to our members. 

Check their website www.balh.org.ukf or upcoming talks available virtually.

Birmingham and Warwickshire Archaeological Society

Wednesday  20th April 7.00pm. Online only: David Freke Medieval Grafitti of South Warwickshire Churches  Email frekedj@globalnet.co.uk  for link to join this free talk.  

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. 

https://www.forces.net/heritage/history/doorstep-history-german-soldiers-buried-warwickshire?fbclid=IwAR2glVLC2bOpFyt0W1hkJRPiG_zjVhlc7d-y4KjAfZ3uBySlvBj7w63esv0

Don’t forget to check our own website at:

Kineton and District Local History Group (kinetonhistory.co.uk)

Committee News.  The committee met 14th March via Zoom 4.00pm. 

Date of next Committee meeting.  9th May.  Venue tbc

DF 19.04.22

Contact:  David Freke   tel: 07876 290044…Email frekedj@globalnet.co.uk

Newsletter March 2022

Our AGM will take place on Friday 19th March in the Village hall at 7.30pm, followed by the talk by James Ranahan, postponed from last month. 

The AGM Agenda, the,Minutes of the 2021 AGM,  the reviewed 2021 Accounts, and the Chairman’s and Treasurer’s reports will be circulated in the next few days in order to make the AGM business as brief as possible. The main business of the AGM will be to accept these reports and elect a committee for 2022-23  

All members of the present committee are standing for re-election:

David Freke Chair,                                        

Roger Gaunt Vice Chair,                               

Alec Hitchman Treasurer,                               

Ilona Sekacz Secretary,                                 

Claire Roberts Programme Secretary,           

Catherine Petrie PR,

Pamela Redgrave Membership Secretary,

Isobel Gill,

Rosemary Collier,

George Lokuciewski, 

Peter Waters

                                    ,

Nominations to the 2022-23 committee are invited and may be proposed and seconded at the meeting.  Please consider joining us.

DEJA VUE! (appropriate for a talk on photography)

The Coventry and Midland Photographic Society 1883. Photo: Coventry Photographic Society website Feb.2022

Following our AGM  James Ranahan, has kindly agreed to give his postponed talk The Photographer’s Gaze: viewing Warwickshire since 1839

He will take us back into the Warwickshire of the last century and a half.   This is a period of Warwickshire’s boomtime, for some, and then bust, for some, and change, for all.  In the 19th century the industrial towns benefitted from new canal and railway transport links, with the north Warwickshire coalfield fuelling huge urban population growth.  In the late twentieth century de-industrialisation forced radical changes on these communities.  Agricultural fortunes grew until the middle of the 19th century, then dipped to desperate straits for landowners and agricultural workers at the end of the century.  In the twentieth century the two World Wars impacted on Warwickshire in ways which left permanent changes in the landscape and society.  Our own member Roger Butler has shown us historic images of local canals thriving with commercial traffic, becoming abandoned and lost in derelict wastelands and then reviving as amenities at the centre of leisure and retail activities (think Banbury).   Increasingly we use photographs to chart change – our own “snapshot” of Kineton 10 years ago is already, inevitably, an historic record. 

View of Warwick Castle by Francis Bedford 1869.
Pub. The Art Journal 1870

Photographs have increasingly documented these changes, and by the 21st century photography has changed from its original elite specialist pursuit to a ubiquitous reflex available to anybody with a smart phone.  James’ title “The photographer’s gaze …” suggests that he will consider what subjects photographers have chosen to focus on and how they have presented them –  which of the infinity of possible views have they selected and frozen for posterity?  And how have these choices themselves changed over time?   James’ work is looking after these records.  He is an archivist with the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, specialising in the photographic records, and was previously for many years the Photographic Archivist at the Birmingham Library. We are eager to hear his postponed presentation.

At present there are no mandatory covid-related restrictions on the use of the village hall, so we expect to present a normal evening, with refreshments.  However, we advise that masks be worn when moving around, unless taking refreshments, and that the hand washing facilities be used.  Seats will be spaced, although not at the previous 2m distance. 

2022-3 Programme: 

     

Mar 18

AGM, followed by James Ranahan

The Photographer’s Gaze: Viewing Warwickshire Since 1839

22 April

Alan Benjamin

‘The History and Music of Morris Dancing’

with instrumental accompaniment.

20 May

Anne Langley

‘Early allotments in Warwickshire’

a major institution of Victorian village life

June/July

tbc

Walk around Ilmington  (date and time tbc)

Visit to Brailes  (date and time tbc)

12 August

2.30 pm

Walk around Chipping Norton with Blue Badge guide

16 September

Norman Hyde

‘Tennis the Leamington Way.’

the oldest tennis club in the world and its importance to Leamington over 170 years.

21 October

Roy Smart

‘David Beatty – The Last Naval Hero’

fame and celebrity following the Battle of Jutland, the greatest naval battle in history.

18 November

Rosemary Collier

The History of the Royal Horticultural Research Institute, Wellesbourne

9 December

Richard Churchley

‘Christmas Songs Through the Ages’

the Middle Ages to the 1940s

20 Jan 2023

Beat Kumin

‘For a Good Cause – Church Ales and Early Modern Drinking Culture.’

17 Feb 2023

David Fry

The Silk Ribbon Industry of Coventry’

17 March 2023

AGM

Membership.   If you are, or would like to become, a Member of the group, your 2022 subscription is due (still £10pa!).  Our 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 include your full name so we can correctly attribute your payment.

Or you can join at any talk.

Other Society Events.

Warmington Heritage Group

Thursday March 17th  in the Village Hall at 7.30pm

Professor Andrew Hopper of Oxford University , Principal Investigator of AHRC Project, ‘Conflict, Welfare and Memory during and after the English Civil Wars, 1642-1710’ www.civilwarpetitions.ac.uk will talk about ‘The Human Costs of the British Civil Wars’ (based on the Civil War Petitions Project), to include some reference to our own area.

Warwickshire Local History Society

K&DLHG is affiliated to WLHS and our members are entitled to join their meetings.

Tue 15 Mar 2022 at 19:30 The next WLHG talk via Zoom :.

Two short presentations by members, on aspects of current research.

‘Rokeby Camp, Rugby’, Christine Howling considers this local example of the 1946 Squatters’ Movement.

‘Warwickshire’s pioneering role in the development of dog shows’.   In the month that Crufts is hosted by the N.E.C. at Bickenhill, Ruth Barbour discusses the county’s contribution to the development of dog shows.

Please visit WLHS’s Eventbrite page:WLHS Members,’ Meeting Tickets, Eventbrite, to register your interest for this talk.  A link and joining instructions will then be sent to you a few days before the lecture.  Non-members are welcome to attend online meetings free of charge, for a limited time and subject to ticket availability. Annual Members’ Meeting.

Tuesday 26 April 2022           Annual General Meeting.  Speaker to be confirmed

Saturday 7 May 2022  Edgehill Battlefield Walk, A morning outing followed by optional lunch.  Led by Martin Russell, the Vice President of Shipston and District Local History Society (this finishes at the local pub and members can choose to stay for lunch if they wish).  Full details and prices to be confirmed.  

 

The Dugdale Society

Loss Accounts Project

Those who have an interest in the Civil War, and Edgehill in particular, may be pleased to know that the project to transcribe loss accounts that David Beaumont and Catherine Petrie were involved in is now complete and there will be an on-line launch on Saturday 26 March 2022 from 2.30pm to 3.30pm.    Please click on the link below on Saturday 26 March to join the on-line event.  Further details of the event are set out in the attached ‘flyer’.

Click here to join the Live Event

Please ensure that you access the link (which uses Microsoft Teams) before 2.30pm on Saturday 26th March. You will be held in a waiting room and the host will let you in just before 2.30pm when the event is due to start.  Please ensure your microphone and camera are switched off when you join.

This project, created and managed by Dr Maureen Harris, ran from June 2018 to June 2020.  It was supported by the Friends of the Warwickshire County Record Office and the Dugdale Society, and received funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.   

With support from County Record Office staff and experienced project ‘assistants’, Maureen led a team of volunteers from across the county (including members of the Friends) in exploring the human cost of the First Civil War through transcribing and tabulating the ‘Loss Accounts’ and researching the people and events they discovered within them.  The ‘Loss Accounts’ itemise the financial and material losses sustained by local inhabitants through Parliamentary activity before and during the First English Civil War between 1642 and 1646.

British Association for Local History.  The Kineton Group is also a Member of BALH and they run lectures and talks which are open to our members. 

Check their website www.balh.org.uk for upcoming talks available virtually.

Birmingham and Warwickshire Archaeological Society

Tuesday 5th April  7.00pm Medieval Grafitti of South Warwickshire Churches by David Freke

Venue St John’s House Museum Warwick.  For tickets see website www.bwas-online.co.uk

Tickets bookable from BWAS website.

 

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. 

https://www.forces.net/heritage/history/doorstep-history-german-soldiers-buried-warwickshire?fbclid=IwAR2glVLC2bOpFyt0W1hkJRPiG_zjVhlc7d-y4KjAfZ3uBySlvBj7w63esv0

Don’t forget to check our own website at:

Kineton and District Local History Group (kinetonhistory.co.uk)

 

OBITUARIES

Three of our long-standing members, each of whom contributed greatly to the group, have passed away in the last month.  Bob Crockett, who many of you will remember regularly maned the kitchen with his wife Doreen, has died after suffering for some years with Alzheimers Disease.  Our sympathies are with Doreen.  Richard Hurley who retired as our Treasurer in November 2018, died in early March after suffering a very aggressive brain tumour.  Again ,our thoughts are with Brownwen and his family.  Both in their different ways were stalwart members of the group of many years standing, and though for different reasons we have not seen them at our meetings for several years, they are missed. 

 

2021-22 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.  The committee last met via Zoom on 17th January and a summary was included in the January Newsletter.

Date of next Committee meeting:  14th March via Zoom 4.00pm,  NB change of time

DF 11.03. 22

Contact:  David Freke   tel: 07876 290044

Email frekedj@globalnet.co.uk

Newsletter February 2022

NEWSLETTER, 13th February 2022

The Coventry and Midland Photographic Society 1883. Photo: Coventry Photographic Society website Feb.2022

Our forthcoming meeting on Friday 18th February features James Ranahan, whose his talk The Photographer’s Gaze: viewing Warwickshire since 1839 will take us back into the Warwickshire of the last century and a half.   This is a period of Warwickshire’s boomtime, for some, and then bust, for some, and change, for all.  In the 19thcentury the industrial towns benefitted from new canal and railway transport links, with the north Warwickshire coalfield fuelling huge urban population growth. In the late twentieth century de-industrialisation forced radical changes on these communities.Agricultural fortunes grew until the middle of the 19th century, then dipped to desperate straits for landowners and agricultural workers at the end of the century.  In the twentieth century the two World Wars impacted on Warwickshire in ways which left permanent changes in the landscape and society.  Our own member Roger Butler has shown us historic images of local canals thriving with commercial traffic, becoming abandoned and lost in derelict wastelands and then reviving as amenities at the centre of leisure and retail activities (think Banbury).   

Warwick Castle

View of Warwick Castle by Francis Bedford 1869. Pub. The Art Journal 1870

Increasingly we use photographs to chart change – our own “snapshot” of Kineton 10 years ago is already, inevitably, an historic record. Photographs have increasingly documented these changes, and by the 21st century photography has changed from its original elite specialist pursuit to a ubiquitous reflex available to anybody with a smart phone.  James’ title “The photographer’s gaze …” suggests that he will consider what subjects photographers have chosen to focus on and how they have presented them –  which of the infinity of possible views have they selected and frozen for posterity?  And how have these choices themselves changed over time?   James’ work is looking after these records.  He is an archivist with the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, specialising in the photographic records, and was previously for many years the Photographic Archivist at the Birmingham Library.. We are eager to hear his presentation. 

At present there are no mandatory covid-related restrictions on the use of the village hall, so we expect to present a normal evening, with refreshments.  However, we advise that masks be worn when moving around, unless taking refreshments, and that the hand washing facilities be used.  Seats will be spaced, although not at the previous 2m distance. 

Report on our Friday 21st January’s informativetalk by George Derbyshire, whose topic was the Arts and Crafts movement in the Cotswolds.  He called his talk “Cockneys in Arcadia”, and he described the effect on Chipping Campden in 1902 caused by the influx 150 people from London – 50 craftspeople and their families – led by Charles Ashbee.  They were seeking to exchange “Babylon” (London) for “arcadia” (rural life), idealised as a simpler, more “authentic” aesthetic and lifestyle.  It was undeniably also a cheaper one.

handled bowl

Handled Bowl by Charles Phillip Ashbee 1901

For a while Chipping Campden became an artistic avante garde outpost.  Ashbee set up workshops in the old silk mill, and established a guild school for training local carvers, cabinetmakers, enamellers, printers, jewellers, goldsmiths and silversmiths (but, oddly, not stonemasons).  At its height 300 students were enrolled.  The surprisingly unfit country trainees were given disciplined physical workouts to improve mind and body.  The use of the term “guild” indicates their adoption of the medievalising social ideals of Ruskin and Morris. 

Chipping CamdenLike Morris, the guild found that handcrafted items were often too expensive for all but the rich to acquire.  Their proposed edition of the Bible was to retail between £60 – £150 depending on the degree of illumination (about £8,000 – £20,000 in today’s money).  Unsurprisingly the project had to be shelved as it was not financially viable.  The economic isolation of the town led to financial problems and the guild returned to London in 1907, but Ashbee and a dozen craftsmen remained to continue the transformation of the town and its cultural life.

Although he trained as an architect Ashbee built no new buildings in Chipping Campden, but he was personally responsible for the maintenance and survival of many of the jewels in Campden’s High Street, and the ethos of the Arts and Craft Movement has ensured the conservation of the town’s charm.  

Our thanks to George Derbyshire for his succinct and expert presentation, not least the revelation that Charles Ashbee’s father’s bequest of 50,000 books to the British Library had to go straight into their restricted catalogue!

Membership.   Given the way the problems and restrictions of the last 2 years have affected our activities we hope that you still value what the Group has to offer.   If you are, or would like to become, a Member of the group, your 2022 subscription is due (still £10pa!).  Our 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 include your full name so we can correctly attribute your payment.

Or you can join at any talk.

K&DLHG 2022-3 Programme: 

Feb 18  :James RanahanThe Photographer’s Gaze: Viewing Warwickshire Since 1839
Mar 18AGM 
22 AprilAlan Benjamin‘The History and Music of Morris Dancing’ with instrumental accompaniment.
20 MayAnne Langley‘Early allotments in Warwickshire’ a major institution of Victorian village life
June/July  tbcWalk around Ilmington  (date and time tbc) Visit to Brailes  (date and time tbc)
Fri. 12 August2.30 pmWalk around Chipping Norton with Blue Badge guide
16 SeptemberNorman Hyde‘Tennis the Leamington Way.’ the oldest tennis club in the world and its importance to Leamington over 170 years.
21 OctoberRoy Smart‘David Beatty – The Last Naval Hero’ fame and celebrity following the Battle of Jutland, the greatest naval battle in history.
18 NovemberRosemary CollierThe History of the Royal Horticultural Research Institute, Wellesbourne
9 DecemberRichard Churchley‘Christmas Songs Through the Ages’ the Middle Ages to the 1940s
20 Jan 2023Beat Kumin‘For a Good Cause – Church Ales and Early Modern Drinking Culture.’
17 Feb 2023David FryThe Silk Ribbon Industry of Coventry’
17 March 2023AGM 

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. 

The Community Archive Project: an appeal for Ideas.  At our last meeting I reported that our Heritage Lottery Fund bid for money to help construct a Community Archive room in the Village Hall was rejected, with the helpful suggestion that involving more community activities would make a more viable bid.  I asked if members could suggest ways we could incorporate such ideas in a new approach to HLF.  I am very grateful that some members have responded with suggestions which we will develop and take forward.  If anybody has a light-bulb moment please email me at frekedj@globalnet.co.uk or talk to a committee member at our meetings.

Other Society Events

Warmington Heritage Group. 

Thursday 17th February 7.30pm  Local Postcard Collection by Stuart Martin, at Warmington Village Hall

Warwickshire Local History Society

K&DLHG is affiliated to WLHS and our members are entitled to join their meetings.

The next WLHG talk is:

Tuesday 15th March, 7.30pm.   , Members Meeting

WLHS are intending to run outings again this summer.  Although full details are not available yet you might want to put the following dates in your diaries:

Saturday 7th May: Edgehill Battlefield Walk, A morning outing followed by optional lunch, led by Martin Russell, the Vice President of Shipston and District Local History Society.

Thursday 26th May: Trip to Birmingham Guinea Gardens and Birmingham Botanical Gardens, all day, led by members of Birmingham Guinea Gardens and the Botanical Gardens tour guides (lunch at the Botanical Gardens: members can bring packed lunch or eat in the cafe).

Saturday 2nd July: Compton Verney Archaeology: An afternoon tour of the grounds led by Compton Verney archaeologist Hilary Calow followed by a cream tea at Compton Verney.

Wednesday 7th September: Middleton Hall, Tamworth.  A morning tour of the hall followed by members’ choice of packed lunch or lunch in the restaurant, with access to the hall and gardens for the rest of the day.

Full details and prices will be available a few weeks before each event, together with details on how to book a place.

Check the Warwickshire Local History Society website for updates: https://www.warwickshirehistory.org.uk

British Association for Local History.  The Kineton Group is also a Member of BALH and they run lectures and talks which are open to our members. 

Their next, talk available virtually is:

Wednesday 16th February 7.00pm – 8.00pm  Effective Social Media for Local History 

Thursday 24th February 7.00 –  8.00pm.  Front Parlour to Funeral Parlour: looking after the dead in England 1850 – 1950

Booking through the BALH website: www.balh.org.uk

Birmingham and Warwickshire Archaeological Society

Tuesday 1st March 7.00pm Cheddar Man and the Genetic prehistory of Britain by Dr Thomas Booth.   Venue Edgbaston Park Hotel, Birmingham.  Book through website: www.bwas-online.co.uk

Tuesday 5th April  7.00pm Medieval Grafitti of South Warwickshire Churches by David Freke

Venue St John’s House Museum Warwick.  For tickets see website www.bwas-online.co.uk

HS2

Friday 18th and Saturday 19th there will be an open event in Chipping Warden village hall showcasing the archaeological discoveries on the HS2 site nearby https://www.woodford-halse-villagesignpost.co.uk/2022/02/07/meet-the-diggers/

Council for British Archaeology West Midlands

Saturday March 5 10.00am – 4.00pm  News from the Past  at Carrs Lane Church Centre Birmingham https://cbawm.archaeologyuk.org/

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. 

https://www.forces.net/heritage/history/doorstep-history-german-soldiers-buried-warwickshire?fbclid=IwAR2glVLC2bOpFyt0W1hkJRPiG_zjVhlc7d-y4KjAfZ3uBySlvBj7w63esv0

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.  The committee last met via Zoom on 17th January and a summary was included in the January Newsletter.

Date of next Committee meeting:  14th March via Zoom (tbc) 7.00pm,

DF 13.02. 22

Contact:  David Freke   tel: 07876 290044

Email frekedj@globalnet.co.uk

Newsletter January 2022

NEW YEAR, NEWSLETTER, 18th January 2022

Happy New Year!  Or at least a better one.  

History Group members’ visit to Court Barn Museum

Our next talk this Friday 21st January is by George Derbyshire whose topic is the Arts and Crafts movement in the Cotswolds.  He calls his talk “Cockneys in Arcadia”, and he will describe the influx of dedicated craftspeople into the area in the late 19th century and early 20th century.  They were seeking a simpler, more “authentic” aesthetic and lifestyle and, undeniably, also a cheaper one.  For a while the Cotswolds and Chipping Campden  in particular became an artistic avante garde outpost.  

[Not printed upside down] Bunches of historic invoices, receipts, etc pinned to the rafters at the Court Barn Museum

Many of you will remember our trip to Chipping Campden a few years ago, and our visit to the Court Barn Museum, where the jewellers’ workshops are preserved, and are still operated by individual craftsmen.    

George Derbyshire moved to Moreton-in-Marsh about 8 years ago after a career in business. Finding time on his hands, he became a volunteer at Court Barn Museum, and as well as giving talks, he leads Arts and Crafts walks for the museum in Chipping Campden and Broadway.

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 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. 

Report on Christmas Treats.     The Christmas meeting on Friday 10th December was our biennial opportunity to hear short pieces by our members before consuming mulled wine or soft drinks and mince pies.  Our thanks to Ilona for providing these, and Jackie and Mark for help in serving them.   This year we had three contrasting contributions.

Sue Hammon’s  title was “The Mystery of Khiva” which we soon learnt is not an exotic fruit, but a key town in Uzbekistan on the ancient Silk Road.  The “mystery” in Sue’s title is nothing less than how this obscure location played a role in laying the foundations of modern mathematics.  It was (probably) the birthplace of the 9th century Persian mathematician al-Khwarizmi.  He developed and published the system of “Arabic” numerals we still use, replacing the cumbersome Roman numbering system.  The logic of the way the simple strokes of our numbers were derived from increasing the number of angles they exhibited is a model of that elegance so essential for mathematical theory.  Sue explained how this may have grown from the need to make the multicultural mercantile business of the Silk Road more efficient, and universal.  There is a statue of him in Khiva, as yet unmolested, and his other memorial, better known though not generally realised, is the word “algebra”, which is derived from “al jabr” – part of the title of his thousand-year old book.  

Brian Morgan took up the challenge which was issued at the start of the pandemic, and has been keeping a journal to record the last extraordinary 20 months.  He called his talk “The Ramblings of an Old Man During the Pandemic”.  Brian recounted the effects which the pandemic has had on his family and the community, through its lockdowns and restrictions.  He described the difficulties organising care for elderly relatives, the problems and advantages of working from home, the steep learning curve related to remote meetings via Zoom, and the joys/frustrations of shopping on line.  Much of his account raised familiar issues for he audience.  The continuing pandemic means that his memoir also continues.   Just as contemporary accounts of historic events are the essential evidence for historians, so will diaries and memoirs like Brian’s, recording this bizarre period, be valued by future commentators and analysts.   

Anitra Hall entertained and teased us with her piece entitled “What’s in a Name?”  This was a cradle-to-grave scamper through her family’s history and their names.  Unfortunately, I was so engrossed by her performance that I took no notes, so I only have my recollections to draw on for this review!  However, I do sympathise with her irritation at the mistake many people make when using her first name (with me it’s my surname).  She recounted how her mother was captivated by Anitra’s Dance from Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite, and how that personal connection is embodied in her name.  Anitra delivered her thoughts with her usual quirky aplomb, her query regarding our audience’s own experiences with names drew some interesting responses.

Our thanks to all three members for sharing their experiences and enlightening us, each in their own way giving an insight into the way the past impacts on the present.

Membership.   Given the way the problems and restrictions of the last 2 years have affected our activities we hope that you still value what the Group has to offer.   If you are, or would like to become, a Member of the group, your 2022 subscription is due (still £10pa!).  Our 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 join at a talk.

Programme: 

2022-3

Jan   21     George Derbyshire: Arts and Crafts in the Cotswolds
Feb 18  :James RanahanThe Photographer’s Gaze: Viewing Warwickshire Since 1839
Mar 18AGM 
22 AprilAlan Benjamin‘The History and Music of Morris Dancing’ with instrumental accompaniment.
20 MayAnne Langley‘Early allotments in Warwickshire’ a major institution of Victorian village life
16 SeptemberNorman Hyde‘Tennis the Leamington Way.’ the oldest tennis club in the world and its importance to Leamington over 170 years.
21 OctoberRoy Smart‘David Beatty – The Last Naval Hero’ fame and celebrity following the Battle of Jutland, the greatest naval battle in history.
18 NovemberRosemary CollierThe History of the Royal Horticultural Research Institute, Wellesbourne
9 DecemberRichard Churchley‘Christmas Songs Through the Ages’ the Middle Ages to the 1940s  
20 Jan 2023Beat Kumin‘For a Good Cause – Church Ales and Early Modern Drinking Culture.’
17 Feb 2023David FryThe Silk Ribbon Industry of Coventry’
17 March 2023AGM 

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. 

The Community Archive Project: an appeal for Ideas.  As many of you will know the Group has been trying to raise funds to construct a room in the Village hall to house village archives, in order to preserve them and make them available for consultation by the community.  This has been an ambition of the group for more than two decades, and we are now closer to achieving it than ever before.  We have a costed scheme, planning permission, and the support of the Village hall Trustees, and many village organisations and groups.  The costs are such that we will need more than our own resources to complete this project.   Our application to the Heritage Lottery Fund, has been turned down on the grounds that the project did not include sufficient community activities, despite being aimed at preserving and enhancing access to the heritage of the village.  We intend to submit a new application soon which will meet this HLF requirement in terms that will chime with  their aims. 

We would welcome your views on what sort of outreach or community activities could be promoted within the remit, and using the resources, of a community archive.  Your committee is looking at this matter now with a view to submitting a new application in February, so please let us know your  suggestions for us to consider.  Email me at frekedj@globalnet.co.uk or talk to a committee member at our meetings.

Other Society Events

Warwickshire Local History Society

K&DLHG is affiliated to WLHS and our members are entitled to join their meetings.

The next WLHG talk via Zoom is:

Tuesday 15th February, 7.30pm.   Dr Andrew Watkins, Late Medieval Towns in Arden.   

Check the Warwickshire Local History Society website for up-to-date lists.  https://www.warwickshirehistory.org.uk

British Association for Local History.  The Kineton Group is also a Member of BALH and they run lectures and talks which are open to our members. 

Their next, talk available virtually is:

Thursday 27th January 7.00pm Pnm Smith and Julie Miller:  Non-conformity from the 17th to 19th centuries.  Virtual talk, visit www.balh.org.uk for details

Lapworth Local History Group: 

Tuesday 25th January: 7.45pm, Joe Harvey:  Mapping the Tunnels of Warwick

Lapworth Village Hall (may be via Zoom, contactwww.lapworth history.co.ukfor details)

Birmingham and Warwickshire Archaeological Society.

Tuesday 1st February. 7.30pm.  Prof Felix Schmid The First London to Birmingham Railway.

Edgbaston Park Hotel, Birmingham.  Tickets bookable from BWAS website:  bwas-online.co.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. 

https://www.forces.net/heritage/history/doorstep-history-german-soldiers-buried-warwickshire?fbclid=IwAR2glVLC2bOpFyt0W1hkJRPiG_zjVhlc7d-y4KjAfZ3uBySlvBj7w63esv0

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.  The committee met via Zoom on 17th January. Alec outlined the continuing satisfactory state of our finances but reported that the transfer of access to our PayPal account to him from Ted was still a problem.  Roger, Alec and Lucie are attempting to resolve this and will make arrangement to meet.   HSBC has started making a “handling charge” for paying in funds, Alec to investigate.  The 2022-23 talks programme was confirmed.  Arrangements were discussed for streaming or recording talks so that remote, housebound or safeguarding members can participate: DF to investigate.  Suggestions for the Summer Outings were discussed;  David and Rosemary to pursue contacts for several suggested venues. The Programme Card will be available to members at the January talk.  The HLF had turned down our bid for the community archive on the grounds of insufficient outreach activities.  The membership to be asked to suggest ways of meeting this requirement.  .  David Beaumont has commented that the Group’s yahoo email account receives quantities of spam, scammers and adverts, and he asked if it would be better to switch provider?  The consensus was that all providers have the same propensity to deliver rubbish, and our sympathies are with David in dealing with this stuff but it is unlikely to improve by switching.  Roger reported that the number of visitors to the web site took a dip since the last meeting, although one hit was from Germany, a first.

Date of next Committee meeting:  14th March via Zoom (tbc) 7.00pm,

DF 18.01. 22

Contact:  David Freke   tel: 07876 290044

Newsletter December 2021

NEWSLETTER 6th December  2021

Christmas Treats.  Our Christmas meeting this Friday 10th December [note it’s the second Friday, not the usual third one] is our biennial opportunity to hear short pieces by our members before consuming mulled wine or soft drinks and mince pies. This year we have three contributions.  Anitra Hall  will entertain us with a piece entitled “What’s in a Name?”  Many of you will remember some years ago the dry humour of her account of her genealogical researches.  Sue Hammon has given me the title “The Mystery of Khiva” and despite Googling Khiva’s location (it’s in Uzbekistan – where’s that?), and a hint from Sue that a vital aspect of European culture is involved, I remain agog to hear her explore the mystery of this place.  Brian Morgan took up the challenge which I was issued at the start of the pandemic, and has kept a journal to record the last extraordinary 20 months.  In the footsteps of Daniel Defoe he calls his talk “The Ramblings of an Old Man During the Pandemic”.  I hope as many of you as possible will come to this pre-Christmas meeting, the last K&DLHG gathering of 2021.

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 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. 

Report on November 19meeting.  Ellie Reid, a Local Studies Librarian at Oxfordshire History Centre, and an independent researcher, gave a comprehensive description of the role played by Warwick’s pioneering 1906 pageant in the local, and wider, manifestations of the 20th century pageant craze.  In her well-illustrated talk entitled Dressing up the past: the 1906 Warwick Pageant and the 20th century Pageant Movement she showed how persistent publicity over many months was crucial for the huge success of the event.  Local dignitaries, such as Lord Willoughby de Broke and patrons of the South Warwickshire Hunt, took leading roles in hired costumes, while lesser parts were inhabited by members of the wider community in costumes created by teams of seamstresses.  As many as 44,000 people saw the pageant, performed for a week in the grounds of Warwick Castle under the direction of Pageant Master Louis Napoleon Parker.  A dozen episodes illustrated the sometimes mythic history of the town, including a scene involving the infamous Dun Cow, represented by a giant smoke-breathing head, designed by local artist John Bolton.   The success of the Warwick pageant stimulated many other towns to mount their own local celebratory events, and Parker became a peripatetic Pageant Master, much in demand.

The popularity of pageants waned in the thirties and post WWII, with Birmingham’s rain-affected 1938 event making a loss of about £10,000.  Against this is Kenilworth’s 1939 celebration which made a profit of £1,500, and included microphones and pyrotechnics.  The Festival of Britain included a pageant, and the spectacular 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. 

Our President Bob Bearman noted that the late Peter Ashley-Smith had researched and published an article about the Warwick 1906 Pageant in Warwickshire History in 2006, a debt which Ellie fulsomely acknowledged; indeed she had included a copy of Peter’s article with her fascinating display of pageant memorabilia.   Gill Ashley-Smith gave the vote of thanks with her characteristic panache.

.  

Membership.   If you are, or would like to become, a Member of the group, your 2022 subscription (still £10pa!) will be due in January 2022.  Our 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 a talk. 

2021-2 Programme update: 

Dec 10           Christmas treats

2022-3

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

22 AprilAlan Benjamin‘The History and Music of Morris Dancing’ with instrumental accompaniment.
20 MayAnne Langley‘Early allotments in Warwickshire’ a major institution of Victorian village life
16 SeptemberNorman Hyde‘Tennis the Leamington Way.’ the oldest tennis club in the world and its importance to Leamington over 170 years.
21 OctoberRoy Smart‘David Beatty – The Last Naval Hero’ fame and celebrity following the Battle of Jutland, the greatest naval battle in history.
18 NovemberRosemary CollierThe History of the Royal Horticultural Research Institute, Wellesbourne
9 DecemberVARIOUSChristmas meeting
20 JanuaryBeat Kumin‘For a Good Cause – Church Ales and Early Modern Drinking Culture.’
17 Februarytbctbc
17 MarchAGM 

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. 

Their next, talk available virtually is The Human Cost of the British Civil Wars given by Prof Andrew Hopper on Thursday 9th November, 7.00 – 8.30pm. 

Details:

One of a series of digital skills workshops and webinars hosted by BALH in 2021.

The BALH Annual Winter Lecture

The British and Irish Civil Wars (1638–1652) are now taking centre stage as a critical event in the welfare history of Europe. During these conflicts, the Long Parliament implemented a national pension scheme for those who had suffered ‘in the State’s service’. Maimed soldiers no longer able to work, bereaved war widows and orphans too could petition Justices of the Peace for a pension on a local level, through the county quarter sessions courts. For the very first time, this signified the state’s acceptance of a duty of care to both its servicemen and their families. The impact of war-related deprivation was widespread, given that civil-war population loss in England and Wales was around 3%, with even higher percentage losses in Scotland and Ireland. This lecture will showcase evidence from the Civil War Petitions Project’s website in order to assess how this system of military welfare operated, how claimants fashioned themselves as deserving recipients of relief, and how the victims of the war looked back on their experiences.

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. 

https://www.forces.net/heritage/history/doorstep-history-german-soldiers-buried-warwickshire?fbclid=IwAR2glVLC2bOpFyt0W1hkJRPiG_zjVhlc7d-y4KjAfZ3uBySlvBj7w63esv0

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/

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.  The committee met at Pamela Redgrave’s home on 15th November. Alec outlined the continuing satisfactory state of our finances but reported that the transfer of access to our PayPal account to him from Ted was still a problem.  Roger, Alec Ted and Lucie are attempting to resolve this.  The 2022-23 programme was discussed and a short list drawn up for Claire to pursue.  In the matter of the archive in October 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.  Roger reported that the number of visitors to the web site continues to rise each month, with hits 60% from UK, 20% from the US, 12% from China(!) and others from Hong Kong and Zimbabwe. 

Date of next Committee meeting: 17th January (tbc), 7.00pm, at Pamela Redgrave’s home by kind invitation: 8 King John’s Road, Kineton, CV35 0HS

DF 06.12. 21

Contact:  David Freke

Email frekedj@globalnet.co.uk

07876 290044

Newsletter November 2021

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. 

https://www.forces.net/heritage/history/doorstep-history-german-soldiers-buried-warwickshire?fbclid=IwAR2glVLC2bOpFyt0W1hkJRPiG_zjVhlc7d-y4KjAfZ3uBySlvBj7w63esv0

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….

https://historyview.org/library/warwick-castle/

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

PresidentRobert Bearman MBE    
Chairman David Freke   
Vice-Chairman   Roger Gaunt
SecretaryIlona Sekacz 
TreasurerAlec Hitchman
Outings SecretaryIsobel 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