Banbury Historical Society - Newsletters, Book Reviews, Queries & BHS Notes

Newsletters, Book Reviews, Queries & BHS Notes

Newsletters are sent regularly to Members by email, while the most recent are stored here with the latest at the top. Reports of our Lectures and Outings are collected on another page (latest on top), as are Book Reviews. Questions about Banbury people or places can be sent to the Website and will be posted on our Banburyshire Queries page (possibly edited, and latest on top). BHS Notes contain notes of interest to Members.

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(Newsletter of 5th Nov 2024)

Dear all,

Our next lecture will be on Thursday November 14th when we will have Dr. Rowena E. Archer talking about 'Love and Marriage in Medieval Oxfordshire'. The lecture will explore the law on marriage and the experiences of some women in the county. Rowena Archer lives at Hanwell (some members may remember Stephen Wass talking about the extraordinary 17th-century garden archaeology found there - that is her garden); she has been a lecturer in medieval history at Oxford since 1981. Her research focusses on the late medieval aristocracy and in particular on women. She has spoken to us before and it has always been fascinating: one of her lectures sticks in my mind which was all about the various ways of dealing with bodies - particularly of important people who happened to die in the wrong/inconvenient place. It was quite gruesome. This I'm sure will not be gruesome but I'm sure it will be interesting.
As always, the lecture will take place in the Education Studio of Banbury Museum, but it is possible for people to watch this at home, by signing in with Simon Townsend (simon.townsend@banburymuseum.org). If you have already done this you don't need to do it again as you will be on his list. Don't forget that if you come to the lecture in person there is the opportunity for a glass of wine from 7 pm.

November's monthly bulletin from OLHA is now available with all sorts of interesting events and exhibitions for local historians to enjoy. I have picked out two snippets below, but if you would like to read the whole thing click on this url

Professor William Gibson will give a lecture on James II, Oxford and Oxfordshire at 2.15pm on Saturday 30 November in the lecture theatre of the Weston Library in Oxford. The event is organised by the Oxfordshire Record Society and will be followed by the society’s AGM.

OLHA’s autumn study day will be on Saturday 9 November in Burford, on the subject of 'The Far Promised Land: A History of Emigration from Oxfordshire'. The day will include three interesting illustrated talks, a book stall, private visits to the Tolsey Museum and the new Archive building, and a guided walk around the town. All this for £14, barely more than the cost of a passage to Australia.
The new exhibition in Banbury Museum, entitled 'The Changing Face of Banbury- A constantly evolving town', is beautifully done and absolutely fascinating, for anyone who has known Banbury for some time. There are rare photographs, treasured artefacts, and interactive displays, which show how our marketplace has evolved, how industries have shifted, and how our communities have been shaped by both tradition and transformation. From the bustling streets and local landmarks to the modern developments of today; you can discover how our community has grown and adapted. One of the most striking photos for me was the one looking down the high street - full of people and shops - and with cars parked all the way down. I remember my mother going to do her shopping in Banbury and in those days you just stopped the car outside the shop and went in.
With best wishes,
Deborah Hayter

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(Newsletter of 30th Sept 2024)

Dear all,

On Thursday, October 10th, we shall have Dr. Tim Reinke-Williams talking about "Physical Attractiveness and the Female Life-Cycle in Seventeenth-Century England". This talk focuses on how women of the aristocracy, gentry and middling-sorts in seventeenth-century England conceptualised their own physical attractiveness and that of other women. Diaries, letters, autobiographies, and portraits will be used to show how women sought to present themselves. The importance of good looks increased during adolescence and once women reached an age when they were expected to marry. How women sought to maintain an age-appropriate but attractive appearance as they passed through middle and into old age will be discussed too.
Dr Tim Reinke-Williams is a Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Northampton and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. Tim researches gender, work and the body in Britain, in the period c.1500-1750, and is the author of Women, Work and Sociability in Early Modern London (Palgrave, 2014).

Don't forget that if you want to watch from home you need to sign in with Simon (simon.townsend@banburymuseum.org), but if you have already done so you don't need to do it again. But if you come to the Museum in person there is the opportunity for a glass of wine from 7 pm.

This coming weekend (5th/6th October) is Banbury's Canal Festival where we will have a stand in the Lidl carpark, and we could do with some more volunteers to help. This is an excellent opportunity to pull in some new members and to talk about local history with the passing punters. If you could spare an hour or two on Saturday or Sunday please contact Rosemary Leadbeater (raleadbeater@aim.com) - she is co-ordinating our efforts there.

With best wishes, Deborah Hayter

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(Newsletter of 11th Sept 2024)

Dear all,

I am rather late with this final reminder of tomorrow's lecture but I'm hoping that lots of you will be there. We have Dr. Graham Harding coming to talk to us about Port Meadow – the ‘boast of Oxford’ for a million years. He says that Port Meadow is historically and ecologically unique. It’s been common land for over 1000 years and is Oxford’s oldest historic monument, and Graham has all sorts of interesting things to tell us about its very varied history. Graham himself has a varied history, having spent a career in publishing and marketing after doing a degree in history, and then going back to university after retirement for a D.Phil.
Wine will be available from 7 pm, and I am asked to remind you that we like donations in cash for this. If there are those of you who are unable to come to the lecture, and are not able to watch the live-stream from home on the night, Simon has asked me to remind you that the lectures are saved for one week and are available via the same link that he will send out. If you want to be registered to receive the link for all or some of the lectures, to watch at home, you need to sign in with Simon only once for the whole season - and please don't leave it till the last minute to do so. (simon.townsend@banburymuseum.org).

On Saturday 5th & 6th of October 2024 Banbury will celebrate its historic canal through the Canal Festival. The event will showcase the canal's integral role in the town’s growth, fostering goods, trade, and generating jobs and wealth since its establishment in 1778.

Organised by Banbury Town Council, the Canal Festival is a free-to-enter event with fun both on and off the water. The two-day waterside extravaganza will feature floating markets, fairground attractions, arts performances, music, comedy, and theatre, making it a fun-packed weekend for all the family.

We shall have a stall at the festival, alongside many other organizations, and we shall be in the carpark underneath Lidl. This is a great opportunity to sell some of our publications, showcase our activities and especially to rope in some new members. If you could help by manning - or womanning - the stall for a stint either on the Saturday or the Sunday we should love to have you there. Rosemary Leadbeater will be organizing this so please get in contact with her if you are able to help. (raleadbeater@aim.com).

There is another plea for volunteers (this is an organization that likes to involve its members): the BHS library in the Rosemarie Higham Room in the Museum could do with more members to sit in there while the library is open on Thursday and Saturday afternoons. Plenty of interesting reading matter in there - no risk of being bored! If you'd like to be one of the library helpers please contact Phil Richards who is in charge of the rota (philrichards9@gmail.com).

The Oxfordshire Family History society is holding a Family History Day on Saturday September 14th, 10 am - 4 pm, at Banbury Library in Marlborough Road. Anyone is welcome to go along and have a chat - they may be able to help you to get started on family history, or to solve a particular problem that you have come up against. You don't need to have Oxon ancestors for them to be able to help you.

Finally another reminder about the Banbury Early Music Festival on September 28th & 29th in St. Mary's church. All sorts of interesting things going on. Look at the website to get the full picture. (www.BanburyEarlyMusicFestival.com).
With best wishes
Deborah Hayter

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(Newsletter of 25th June)

Dear all,

Our final event of this season is our Annual General Meeting which will take place on July 11th at 5.30 pm at Cropredy Church. There will be the usual drinks afterwards and Verna Wass will give a short talk about the church and the delights and problems of managing restoration work in a Grade 1 listed medieval church.
The Agenda is attached; the annual accounts and chair's report have already been published in Cake & Cockhorse.
We were all very sad and sorry to hear of the very sudden death of Professor Brian Goodey, who had been a useful member of our committee for some time. Some of you will remember the part he played in our 'Document & Story ' session in April - indeed, it was his idea. He was also the driving force behind many organizations in Middleton Cheney and will be very sorely missed by everyone there.
Some of you may have heard of the important archaeological discoveries at the housing development in Calthorpe Gardens. If you follow this link and watch the fascinating video you will learn much more about it.
https://orbitgroup.org.uk/media/news/2024/june/orbit-homes-unearths-over-18-800-artefacts-in-significant-archaeological-discovery-at-calthorpe-gardens/

We have been sent information about an event at the Brackley Folk and Acoustic Club on the 14th July at 8 pm when Richard and Elizabeth York, with support from Craig Sutherland, will be playing a variety of traditional music, including tunes and some songs, mainly from England, Scotland and Ireland, as well as some historical pieces, using a number of historical instruments.

Their range of instruments will be marvellous to see: a melodeon, English and Anglo concertinas, Celtic style lever harp, late medieval bray harp, Scottish wire-strung clarsach, early European bagpipes, nakers, a Hurdy-gurdy, Northumbrian smallpipes, Renaissance guitar and a hammer dulcimer. Sounds amazing! For more information www.brackleyfolk.com.

With best wishes for a good summer

Deborah Hayter

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(Newsletter of 15th April 2024)

Dear all,

Our last indoor meeting of the season is this coming Thursday, the 18th, when we will have a few members showing an interesting selection of documents and ephemera, and telling a short story to go with them. This is a bit of an experiment but I have been sent some intriguing things so I think it is going to be a good evening. I have put all the items onto a powerpoint presentation so it will run just as usual, but with a series of different speakers to go with it. As usual, there will be a glass of wine available from 7pm for those present, and if you would like to join from home you need to sign in with Simon (simon.townsend@banburymuseum.org). But if you have already signed in at some stage since September you don't need to sign in again.

Then we are into the season of summer outings and on Thursday 23 May, we shall be visiting Rousham House and Garden, meeting there at 4 pm. The house is only open for pre-booked groups, so this is a good opportunity, and then we shall walk round the William Kent garden. The cost is £20, payable on the day, and please contact Rosemary Leadbeater at raleadbeater@aim.com if you would like to go.

Before that BHS members are invited to the spring study day and AGM of the Oxfordshire Local History Association, on Saturday May 18th, on the subject of OXFORDSHIRE PROTESTS. This will take place in Chipping Norton Town Hall.

Further information here and booking here.

On Thursday 13 June, we shall be visiting Hanwell Castle gardens, meeting at 6 pm, and our visit will be led by Stephen Wass who has done much to uncover the extraordinary history of these gardens as a 17th-century scientific 'theme-park'. For more information, contact Rosemary, as above.

On Saturday June 15th we have two rival events for both of which we could do with helpers. Banbury show is taking place in Spiceball Park and we are proposing to have a stand. This is a good opportunity to showcase our journal and publications and to bring in some new members. If you could spare just an hour or so that would be helpful. And on the same day we are invited to publicise ourselves at OXPast, this year taking place in Bicester. We could do with some helpers, even for an hour or so, for that as well.

With best wishes,

Deborah Hayter

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(Newsletter of 8th April 2024)

Dear all, Our last indoor meeting of this season will be on the 18th April as usual in the Education Studio in the Museum. But this will be a bit different as we are going to have a 'documents and their stories' session. I have already had several interesting offers: the idea is that members will bring along a document of some kind which has an interesting story attached to it, and will then tell the story. We will show the documents on the screen so it will be possible for members to watch this at home as usual.

Those who have offered something please ensure you send me a scan soon so that I can load them all onto a powerpoint presentation. And - I have a confession - someone sent me a will dated 1951 and I have that and two registration cards which go with it, but I have mislaid the email that came with them so I don't know who sent them - please, if you are that person, could you contact me?

After that we are into summer outings: Thursday 23 May, 4pm we will visit to Rousham House and Garden. The house can only be toured in a group, so this is an opportunity to see it, and we will then go round the William Kent garden, led by me: this is a rare example of a William Kent garden which has not been made over by subsequent garden designers.

Cost £20 per person for the house and garden - payable on the day - but please contact Rosemary Leadbeater at raleadbeater@aim.com to book in.

Then on Thursday 13 June, 6pm we have the opportunity to visit the extraordinary private historic gardens at Hanwell Castle. This was the seat of the influential Cope family through the Tudor and Stuart period and in the mid 17th century the gardens were developed as a scientific 'theme park', centred on the 'House of Diversion'. We will be led by Dr. Stephen Wass to show us the archaeological journey and the extraordinary collection of finds. There will be light refreshments courtesy of our hosts Rowena Archer and Christopher Taylor. Donations welcome on the day and please book in with Rosemary Leadbeater as before.

We plan to have a stand at the Banbury Show on 15th June in Spiceball Park: this is an excellent opportunity to sign up some new members, and it would be great to have some extra help to man (or woman) the stand. Please contact Rosemary if you are able to be there for an hour or two.

The latest bulletin from the Oxfordshire Local History Association is out and as usual, full of interesting exhibitions, talks, walks and study days : if you would like to find out about all of these, just click this url.

With best wishes, Deborah Hayter

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(Newsletter of 26th Feb 2024)

Dear all
Our next lecture will be on Thursday March 14th when Professor Chris Dyer will be speaking on the Importance of Burton Dassett Southend: combining history and archaeology. Chris Dyer writes that it was once said that archaeology is an expensive way of telling us what we know already. The excavations at Burton Dassett disprove this gibe. Many aspects of the past are only partly documented by written sources, and archaeological evidence extends our understanding. We learn from the work at Burton Dassett about town and country, houses, diet, farming, piety, literacy, and much else. Southend was a lively commercial centre in the middle ages which was then more or less deserted, and the excavations which have told us so much about it took place in advance of the destruction caused by the building of the M40 along the valley.

Chris Dyer has taught at the Universities of Edinburgh, Birmingham and Leicester. He is now the emeritus Professor of History, at the Centre for Regional and Local History in Leicester. His research covers the fields of social and economic history, landscape history, and archaeology. He is active in societies and research groups. He has an impressive list of publications, of which the most recent is Peasants Making History c. 1200-1540.

Our last indoor session on Thursday April 18th is billed as a ‘Document and Story session’ and the idea is that members who have a document with an interesting story – it could be a will, an agreement, a ticket to an interesting event, an advertisement – should share the story. I have already received a couple of suggestions but would ideally like some more. I will need to have these in advance so that we can scan them into powerpoint slides (so that everyone can see them) so please keep them coming!

After that we have a couple of summer outings: put these into your diaries now and more information will follow in due course.

On Thursday 23 May, 4pm - Rousham House and Garden.

It is only possible to visit Rousham House as part of a group so we will have our own tour there and then I will be leading a tour round the William Kent garden, created in the mid 18th century. It is unique in that it has not been remodelled since, so is almost as Kent left it – an early example of the English Landscape Garden style, more famously perpetuated by ‘Capability’ Brown. The cost will be £20 – payable on the day – please contact Rosemary Leadbeater at raleadbeater@aim.com to book your place.

On Thursday 13 June, 6pm - Hanwell Castle.

This will be a rare opportunity to visit the extraordinary private historic gardens at Hanwell Castle. In the mid seventeenth century the gardens were developed as a scientific “theme park”, centred on the “House of Diversion” described by Robert Plot in his Natural History of Oxfordshire in 1675. The visit will be led by Dr. Stephen Wass who will lead us through the archaeological journey of uncovering this amazing building and its unique collection of finds which will be on display.

Donations welcome on the day. For more information contact Rosemary, as above.

This society is collectively a member of BALH (British Association for Local History). We seem to have become digital members which means that at the moment we do not receive the journal, The Local Historian, but instead have digital access. (I think we plan to change this). BALH has all sorts of interesting stuff on their website so worth looking at, and you can access their lectures online. These are free for individual members but cheaper for BHS members than for the public. (Members can find our BHS membership number on their 'Newsletter 26/2/2024'.)

https://www.balh.org.uk/newsletter/go.php?id=272731&m=1597&action=click&link=16832&code=ad1b30c2

One of our members thinks that others might like to know that Find my Past has recently extended its digital coverage of the Banbury Guardian as follows: from 1929, 1931 - 1945 and 1964 - 1977. There's plenty of scope for members to research early copies of the Banbury Guardian in order to produce pieces for Cake & Cockhorse.

with best wishes, Deborah Hayter

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(Newsletter of 6th Feb 2024)

Dear all,

A final reminder that our February lecture will be this Thursday (8th Feb 2024), when we have Dr. Jane Harrison on 'The Long Wittenham Hall and the Origins of Wessex'. Jane Harrison was involved in a big project entitled the 'Origins of Wessex project' which was looking at the post-Roman developments in the power structures of the early Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, particularly in the Upper Thames Valley. Excavations at Long Wittenham of a special hall building revealed other fascinating aspects of that story and were followed by the reconstruction of the hall in-situ using contemporary methods and tools. The talk will cover both the excavations and the reconstruction work.

Jane Harrison is a fieldwork archaeologist and Early Medieval archaeology specialist. She has run excavations covering all periods from Oxfordshire to Orkney and recently on Hadrian’s Wall and in North Northumberland. Jane has published books and articles covering those excavations and on her research into the Vikings of the North Atlantic.

More about our last indoor session on Thursday April 18th: we are calling this a ‘Document and Story session’ and we would like members who have a document with an interesting story – it could be a will, an agreement, a ticket to an interesting event, an advertisement - should come forward. We'd like you to scan your document and send to me, and prepare a maximum of 4-minutes' worth of explanation or story. We'd like to have 10 documents and I will plan to have those on a powerpoint presentation so that everyone in the Museum and at home can see them.

Some of you may have read about the fact that the Government is considering the possibility of destroying most of the original documents for wills that were proved from 1858 onwards. The many millions of wills involved would first be digitised. Please go to the link below and voice your objection in the strongest possible terms!

A public consultation on the subject is taking place until 23 February 2024.
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/storage-and-retention-of-original-will-documents

OLHA’s spring study day will be on Saturday 18 May in Chipping Norton, on the subject of Oxfordshire protests. Further details to come.

OLHA's monthly bulletin for February is out, and as full as usual of all sorts of interesting talks, exhibitions and more. To access it, click this url (https://us8.campaign-archive.com/?e=[UNIQID]&u=dd37bb1a4c439c95d964afa06&id=7de888e4c7)

with best wishes, Deborah Hayter

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(Newsletter of 29th Jan 2024)

Dear all,

On Thursday February 8th we have our next lecture, when Dr. Jane Harrison will be talking about "The Long Wittenham Hall and the Origins of Wessex". The archaeology of the Upper Thames Valley indicates that in the very Early Medieval period this part of the country was at the heart of the development of new post-Roman power structures. Excavations at Long Wittenham of a special hall building revealed other fascinating aspects of that story and were followed by the reconstruction of the hall in-situ using contemporary methods and tools. The talk will cover both the excavations and the reconstruction work.

You will have realized that, in your programme cards, there is a gap ‘tbc’ for the March lecture. This was because the lecturer that we had booked had to pull out at the last minute just as the programme cards were going to print. I am really pleased to be able to tell you all that we have Professor Chris Dyer coming on March 14th to talk to us about the history and archaeology of Burton Dassett Southend. He is one of our foremost medievalists and it will be a treat to have him in Banbury.

Our last indoor session on Thursday April 18th is billed as a ‘Document and Story session’ and the idea is that members who have a document with an interesting story – it could be a will, an agreement, a ticket to an interesting event, an advertisement -should share the story. More information next time, but please do think about whether you have something which other members would find historically interesting.

On Tuesday 6th Feb the E[nglish] C[atholic] H[istorical] A[ssociation] has a Zoom talk on The Blounts of the West Midlands: An English Catholic Family in the Reign of Elizabeth I. Helen Forde will be hosting this and if you are interested go to the website of the ECHA for more information and for links.

I’m sure you will all have read or heard about the death of our President, Lord Saye and Sele at the age of 103. There was a big piece in the Banbury Guardian all about him, and obviously we shall be remembering him in the next issue of Cake & Cockhorse. Instead of a straightforward obit, it would be good to have some memories from members, perhaps of one of his trademark 5-minute AGMs, so do please send in your memories. My most recent memory is the photo which Lady S & S sent to Simon, forwarded to me, of Nat sitting up in bed watching the lecture I gave in December. He apparently enjoyed it.

Lastly, by a roundabout route I bring you news of a volunteering opportunity which some of our members might enjoy. Historic England is asking for volunteers who enjoy looking at old photos and are interested in buildings and places in Oxfordshire. Volunteers will view digital images on the Historic England website and identify locations, and you would do this from home and at times to suit you. England's Places is part of a wider project recording photographs from across England to enhance archive records and enable researchers and all archive users to better find and access images and related information held by Historic England.

Full instructions will be provided, and the Cataloguing Team Leader and Volunteer Liaison Officer will be available to offer advice and support.

To find out more about the collection, and view photographs included in the project click on the link here- Historic England Photographic Archive

To apply to become a Historic England Archive Volunteer please click on the link here- Historic England Archive Volunteer Application. If you have any questions please email: Archive.Volunteering@HistoricEngland.org.uk.

With best wishes, Deborah Hayter

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(Newsletter of 1st Jan 2024)

Dear all,
A Happy New Year to all our members and let us hope that it is a peaceful one. The year has turned and we can look ahead to our next lecture on January 11th, when Professor Matthew McCormack will be giving a lecture entitled A Personal History of Shoes.

He writes that shoes are deeply personal objects. They say a great deal about us and the roles that we play in society. They also have a unique connection with their wearer, since they mould to our body and bear its imprint. In many cultures, the shoe is taken to stand for its owner, embodying their personality or their spirit. They tell stories about our lives and, as such, provide very rich sources for historians.
In this talk, Matthew McCormack will explore the history of shoes, and will think about the importance of shoes for their wearers. He will discuss his research on the Georgian period but will also bring the story of shoes up to the present day, and will also bring along some objects for a hands-on demonstration.

Matthew is Professor of History at the University of Northampton. He has appeared on TV and radio, and has published widely on British history. His most recent book is Citizenship and Gender in Britain, 1688-1928 (2019) and he is currently writing a book called Shoes and the Georgian Man.

Your membership subscriptions are due this very day and our membership secretary and treasurer are very keen that these should roll in as soon as possible. One of the problems is that subscriptions by standing orders often continue to arrive at the old subscription rate so PLEASE if you pay by standing order please ensure that you are paying the correct amount: subscriptions are £20 for one member, £25 for joint membership at one address, and £25 for overseas members. Payments can be made by bank transfer (sort code 60-01-35, account no. 92109489) and if you do this please make sure that you give your name otherwise we won't know that you have paid.

The society frequently receives requests for information, usually to do with family history, but sometimes with a random query about something in the town or the area. Obviously we can't be expected to do enquirers' research for them, but we have a slot on our website where we post questions, on the off-chance that someone might have the answer. Do have a look at 'Banburyshire Queries' in case you could help.

Simon Townsend is keen that we should all give our views to Cherwell District Council to help shape the future of Banbury. See below - and if you google 'Banbury Vision 2050' you'll find the survey.

Brian Goodey is keen that we should all try out the new Heritage Search Engine created by Oxfordshire Archives. It searches through all the digitised records including maps and images held in all Oxfordshire Archives, libraries and depositories. You could google Heritage Search Oxfordshire or use the url <https://heritagesearch.oxfordshire.gov.uk/>.

with best wishes
Deborah

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(Newsletter of 5th Dec 2023)

Dear all,

Our last lecture of 2023, on the 14th December, as usual in the Education Studio of the Museum, will be given by me so you will have to forgive a bit of self-advertisement. The title of my lecture is How Enclosure shaped Oxfordshire’s landscape, with the subtitle From Common Right to Private Property. We take private property for granted today but in the past vast areas were used communally, particularly for grazing: these reduced as over the centuries a gradual process of enclosure and privatization of land took place which has given us the hedged landscape of fields that we see around us today. There was a hectic period of enclosure by Parliamentary Act in the late 18th century which drastically changed the surroundings of many local villages which had been still farming using the medieval open fields.

I am a tutor at Oxford University’s Department of Continuing Education, and have taught many courses there. I am often asked to speak to local history societies. I am first and foremost a landscape historian, looking to answer the question ‘Why do places look like they do?’, but I have also taught courses on village history and on the history of poor relief, which is a particular interest of mine.

As usual this lecture can be accessed from home via Microsoft Teams Live but please ensure that you have signed in at least once with Simon Townsend (simon.townsend@banburymuseum.org). It is helpful if you sign in for the lecture in plenty of time.

We shall be holding a book sale before and after this lecture so do bring cash and/or a cheque book - if anyone still has one. Any members who have books of their own that they would like to sell do bring them at 7 pm, with a clear note with the title(s) of the book(s), the price and to whom the money should be paid at the end. We still have copies of Banbury Past through Artists' Eyes at a bargain price - an excellent Christmas present for anyone new to the area.

There will also be a glass of wine available from 7 pm and that is an opportunity to chat to other members.

In the New Year we shall be turning our minds to booking speakers for the 2024/25 season so if there is someone you would like to hear, or a lecturer that you can recommend, or a particular topic that you think we should cover, do please let us know.

The December bulletin from OLHA (Oxfordshire Local History Association) arrived promptly and as usual is full of interesting events, books, exhibitions and talks. There is an item about Banbury Library and also an advertisement from OUDCE of several good courses, of interest to local historians, taking place next term and in the summer. It is a pity that they haven't included my course - the Making of the Landscape Part 2, from c. 1600 to the present day, on Wednesday mornings. To access the full bulletin, click this url:

<https://mailchi.mp/f5edbf9074b0/olha-e-bulletin-december-2023?e=%5BUNIQID%5D>

With best wishes, Deborah Hayter

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(Newsletter of 31st Oct 2023)

Dear all,

Our next lecture will be on Thursday 9th November at 7.30 pm, and we shall have Dr. Alan Crosby talking on Truth is stranger than fiction: the extraordinary life of Marjorie Crosby Słomczyńska (born Banbury 1884).
Marjorie Crosby was born in Banbury in 1884 and died in Poland in 1954. In between was a truly remarkable life, filled with drama, heartache, love, passion, tragedy and scandal … the journey takes us to pre-1914 St Petersburg, Dublin, Warsaw in the 1920s, Paris and Hollywood in the ‘30s, and life and death in Nazi-occupied Poland. It was all a far cry from Banbury, where her family had lived for over three centuries. Alan Crosby, her great-nephew, tells her extraordinary story.

Alan Crosby has been editor of The Local Historian since 2001. Ten generations of his Crosby forebears lived in Banbury, from the time of Elizabeth I, and he has published several articles in Cake & Cockhorse. These include a study of his great-great grandfather George Crosby (1820-1886), who was mayor in 1872.

As always, the lecture will take place in the Education Room of Banbury Museum, but it is also possible for members to watch this at home, by signing in with Simon Townsend (simon.townsend@banburymuseum.org). Remember that you only need to sign in once per season - you will then be on his list for the rest of the lectures. The Museum's spam filters are very fierce, so he will reply and confirm that you are on the list: if you don't get a reply from him try again.

The BHS library in the Rosemarie Higham Room in the Museum is still missing enough readers and researchers. This is open on Thursday afternoons, and at other times by special request. The catalogue is now on the BHS website so you can have a look at the riches available.

There is a talk happening at the Museum of Oxford on Wednesday 8 November, on ‘Conscientious objectors in First World War Oxfordshire’. More information about the talk can be found on that Museum's website: https://museumofoxford.org/event/lunchtime-talks-conscientious-objectors-in-first-world-war-oxfordshire-with-sue-smith

We are still looking for someone tech-savvy who would be able to give some assistance to our webmaster, Ian West, who has done a wonderful job in creating and curating our current website [https://banburyhistoricalsociety.org/], but we are conscious of the fact that it is a mistake to be entirely dependent on one person's skills. Anyone?

With best wishes,

Deborah Hayter

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Dear all,

A quick reminder about our next lecture, on Thursday October 12th as usual in the Education Studio of Banbury Museum. We shall have Gregg Archer talking about The Battle of Middleton Cheney, 1643. In this talk he pieces together the available sources to tell the story of the battle and the events surrounding it. He will also take a closer look at the people who fought it, and propose a location where many stood and died on that fateful day.

Gregg Archer is the co-chair of the Mercia Region of The Battlefields Trust. When not working in the hospitality industry he is researching the lesser known engagements of the 17th Century Civil Wars. His research on the 1645 battle of Radcot Bridge was previously published in the Battlefields Trust Journal “Battalia”.

We shall be holding a very brisk Extraordinary General Meeting at the beginning of the lecture on October 12th, in order to agree the accounts for last year which we didn't have ready for the AGM.

The Oxfordshire Record Society is holding its AGM together with an open meeting at Banbury Museum on Saturday October 14th from 2 - 4.30 pm. Alan Crosby, editor of The Local Historian, whose antecedents came from Banbury, and who will be talking to us in November about one rather extraordinary one, will give a talk on the subject of 'Banburyshire'. (Alan’s themes will include surname patterns, markets, and trading hinterlands. The Chair will invite questions about the talk, or on the Atlas project generally thereafter.) Attendance is free.

We have been sent information by the Church Monuments Society about their series of online, free, lectures. (www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/church-monuments-society-32669221889)

With best wishes

Deborah Hayter

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Dear all,

Our next lecture will be on Thursday October 12th as usual in the Education Studio of Banbury Museum. We are revisiting some military history, as we shall have Gregg Archer talking about The Battle of Middleton Cheney, 1643. We all know about the battle of Cropredy Bridge, but the Battlefields Trust has been researching this other local and little-known event in the Civil War. Gregg Archer writes that on the afternoon of Saturday 6th May 1643 a parliamentarian force from Northampton attempted to capture the town and Castle of Banbury. Surprised by a royalist cavalry brigade under the Earl of Northampton, they were pursued back to Middleton Cheney where they attempted to make a final stand.

In a brief but decisive engagement, the young Earl showed his capability as a cavalry commander in his first independent action. Victory here enabled a much-needed supply train to be delivered safely to the King at Oxford. In this talk he pieces together the available sources to tell the story of the battle and the events surrounding it. He will also take a closer look at the people who fought it, and propose a location where many stood and died on that fateful day.

Some of us manned a stall at Banbury's Canal Festival this last weekend. We sold some publications and handed out a lot of information about the society and we are hopeful of welcoming some new members as a result. Do let us know if you can think of a good site for some membership leaflets so that we can spread ourselves more widely.

We shall be holding a very brisk Extraordinary General Meeting at the beginning of the lecture on October 12th, in order to agree the accounts for last year which we didn't have ready for the AGM. You have all been sent these together with your programme cards but I am attaching them again in case you need them.

The Oxfordshire Record Society is holding its AGM together with an open meeting at Banbury Museum on Saturday October 14th from 2 - 4.30 pm. Alan Crosby, editor of The Local Historian, whose antecedents came from Banbury, and who will be talking to us in November about one rather extraordinary one, will give a talk on the subject of 'Banburyshire'. This is an additional topic being prepared for inclusion in the Oxford Record Society's forthcoming revised edition of its Historical Atlas of Oxfordshire. Alan's themes will include surname patterns, markets, and trading hinterlands. There will also be an introduction to the collections and resources of the Museum. Attendance is free. I am attaching a flyer which gives all the information.

OLHA's monthly bulletin is out with lots of information about books, talks, exhibitions and more . OLHA's study day this autumn will be in Bicester on Saturday 18 November on the theme of the history of shops and shopping in Oxfordshire.

In the morning there will be four short talks, starting with an exploration of the latest features of the County Council’s online catalogue and historic mapping platform Heritage Search, with joint Manager of Oxfordshire History Centre Mark Lawrence. Garth Lewis will then talk about his family’s famous Oxford department store F Cape & Co; Malcolm Graham will reveal the delights of a remarkable collection of photographs of suburban shops taken in the late 1940s and 1950s; and Bob Hessian will explain how shopping in Bicester has changed over the years, and the challenges that retailers now face.

In the afternoon there will be a guided walking tour of Bicester, whose history goes back to early Saxon times.If you would like to access the full OLHA bulletin just click this url.

With best wishes,

Deborah Hayter

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Dear Canal-Day helpers,

Thank you so much for helping to man our stand at the Canal Weekend 2023, especially to the members who hadn't done this previously. We could not have done it without you!

You'll know that we had a lot of interest in the Society's activities, with an almost constant visitor presence at our table. We handout out over 60 lecture series information sheets, countless bookmarks and have taken a total of £111 on our publications.

Best wishes, Rosemary Leadbeater

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(Newsletter of 28 August 2023)

Dear all,

The end of summer seems to be upon us so that means we have to turn our minds to September activities, including a return to BHS lectures. You should by now have received your programme cards which will tell you of all the delights in store, but unfortunately we have been let down by one of our speakers rather at the last minute, so the programme is not quite complete. But I am planning to have the cards available and printed by the end of the week so with any luck you should have them soon (depending on the situation in the Banbury Sorting Office which is apparently dire). Meanwhile I am attaching a document giving you all the information about the speakers and their lectures up to and including February.

Our season begins on the 14th September when we have one of our own members, Professor Sir Roy Meadow, talking about The Life of a GP in Banbury in the 1960s. Roy pointed out to me that what is often missing from local history is the relatively modern, and that life was very different in all sorts of ways 60 years ago. So he is going to talk about what it was like in general practice in Banbury and its surroundings in the 1960s, with daily commitments to the Horton Hospital; and living above the GP surgery in the days before modern Accident/Emergency and ambulance services. Roy started his professional life in the West Bar Surgery, and went on to train as a Physician then a Paediatrician. He was Professor of Paediatrics in Leeds, and the Inaugural President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. He is also the author of many books and research publications.

As before, the lectures will be live in the Education Studio in the Museum, but will also be live-streamed via Microsoft Teams Live. If you would like to take advantage of this, you will need to sign in with Simon Townsend (simon.townsend@banburymuseum.org) just once for the whole season. But Simon says that the Museum's spam filters are very fierce and your email might not get through, so he will make sure that he sends an acknowledgement to every application. If you haven't had an acknowledgement try again - preferably before 7 pm on the day. Don't forget that a glass of wine is available from 7 pm onwards before the lecture.

We have another excitement on September 14th: Barrie Trinder has written another in the BHS series of publications, on Georgian Banbury. Members will be able to collect their copies on that day, and as before, if members are able to collect their copies from the Museum in person that will save the society a huge amount of postage. Dr. Barrie Trinder is our most distinguished member and historian, vice-president of the Society, who grew up in Banbury and was one of our founder-members. He edited Cake & Cockhorse between 1963 and 1974. His study of Victorian Banbury was published in 1982 and he has been responsible for three of the Historical Society’s records publications in the past decade. He is well-known for his writings on the Industrial Revolution and on urban history. The Society has published almost all the surviving sources for Banbury's history in the eighteenth century, and many articles on the period have appeared in Cake & Cockhorse. This book aims to provide a coherent and readable account of a particularly interesting market town, and in so doing to reflect the literature and popular culture of the period. This new study is a work of synthesis, bringing together the work of numerous scholars over recent decades. (I am attaching more information about the book, and about Banbury, provided by Barrie.)

Those of you who attended the AGM in July in Wormleighton may remember that we had neither Treasurer nor Annual Accounts present, due to our Treasurer, Chris Bates, having been incapacitated by illness. However the annual accounts have now been completed and are with our auditor. (Well done and thank you Chris). We plan to deal with these at an Extraordinary General Meeting, swiftly, before the lecture on the 12th October.

The library will be open on Thursday afternoons, and we could do with one more volunteer to be there on an occasional basis. If you think you could do this, please contact Sue Jaiteh, our super-efficient librarian (librarian@banburyhistoricalsociety.org).
We shall be running a stall at the next Banbury Canal Day - or weekend, which will take place on the 30th September and 1st October. This was a successful event for us last year, when we attracted several new members and sold a few books. We could do with some volunteers to help run this stall, so if you could spare an hour or two on one of those days, please contact Pamela Wilson (pamslwilson@gmail.com).

With best wishes, Deborah Hayter

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(Newsletter of 5th May 2023)

Dear all,

May means time for summer outings rather than indoor lectures and you have all had information about the outings that we have arranged this year.
The visit to Stratford-on-Avon is now full, but we have more coming up.

Tuesday 6 June, 6pm: Guided tour of Bloxham museum, St Mary's church Bloxham and its churchyard.

Bloxham Village Museum celebrates the rich history of the village of Bloxham. The Courthouse, in which the museum is situated, is an ancient building with an interesting history of its own. It was rebuilt in 1689 and has been further restored during its history but the 14th-century window and doorway were saved and can be seen in their new locations on the east and north side.

Adjacent to the museum is the magnificent parish church of St Mary's, Bloxham. A large proportion of the church building is from the 14th century, though there are some notable fragments remaining of Norman architecture. Its 198ft spire can be seen from miles around.

Cost: donations of choice to the museum. £7.50 per person (payable in cash on the night) for a tour of the interior and exterior of the church, and churchyard, including drinks (wine/soft) and nibbles in the church afterwards, with an opportunity to mill around, discuss and look again at features of particular interest. Please contact Rosemary Leadbeater (raleadbeater@aim.com) to book a place.

Thursday 29 June 6.30pm. Walking Tour around St. Thomas’ parish, Oxford.

Liz Woolley, who gave us an excellent talk about 19th -century lodging houses in Oxford, and is very knowledgeable about the 19th-century history of 'town' Oxford (as opposed to 'gown'), offers a walking tour around St. Thomas' parish in Oxford, with lots of interest along the way.

Cost: £6 per person. Please contact Rosemary Leadbeater (raleadbeater@aim.com) to book.

OLHA journal editor Vanessa Moir writes: “After receiving feedback that readers would like to hear more about smaller communities, I’d like to start a series of short features of up to 600 words. Is there a hidden archive, special place or piece of ongoing work you would like to highlight or publicise? Did something significant happen in your community in the year 1823, 1923 or another ‘23’ year? How did your community celebrate past coronations, particularly before the 20th century? If you have any ideas for contributions, please do contact her.

There is lots more of interest in the Oxford Local History Association ebulletin; if you would like to access it you only have to click this url

with best wishes

Deborah Hayter

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(Newsletter of 3rd April 2023)

Dear all,
A final reminder about our Historical Artefacts Quiz taking place this week on Thursday (April 6th). I hope that lots of you have some interesting objects to bring along. If you are not sure whether you have something of suitable interest, do feel free to contact me to ask. I hope that interesting artefacts will start arriving from 7 pm and that we will be able to start guessing at 7.30 or thereabouts. There'll be a glass of wine to help.

The 2023 edition of Cake & Cockhorse is now printed (and very handsome it is too): please could everyone present on Thursday remember to pick up their own copy, and if you were able to deliver a copy or two to other local BHS members that would be very helpful - as you will all be aware, postage is now extremely expensive.

I have been asked to advertise an interesting evening in the Holywell Music Room in Oxford on April 18th, celebrating the heroes of the International Brigades defending liberty in the Spanish Civil war 1936 -39. I have attached the poster with all the details.

Finally, this month's newsletter from OLHA has arrived, as usual bursting with interesting talks, walks, books and exhibitions, including the OLHA study day at Rycote. if you've never been there, take the opportunity to go as it is not normally open to the public and is a treat. To access the newsletter, click this url
With best wishes,
Deborah Hayter

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(Newsletter of 27th Feb 2023)

Dear all,

On Thursday March 9th we have our last lecture in this current series, and we have a local scholar who will be talking about Images in the pre-Reformation English parish church c.1300 – 1553. Eleanor Townsend will discuss images in late medieval parish churches: how they were chosen and funded, how they functioned within the liturgy and community, and how ultimately they were almost all destroyed. The talk will cover not only sculpted and painted images, but also those in stained glass, wall painting, textiles and other media, supported by local examples where possible. Eleanor did an MA at the Courtauld Institute of Art and than spent 20 years at the V & A specialising in medieval art, co-curating the Medieval Galleries and the major exhibition, Gothic: Art for England 1400-1547. She is currently completing a doctorate at the University of Oxford, focusing on a stone reredos in St Cuthbert’s, Wells.

As usual, the lecture will be live in the Education Studio at Banbury Museum, where there will be wine available from 7 pm onwards, and it will also be possible to watch and listen from home. If you have already signed in with Simon Townsend you will not need to do this again, but if you haven't please email simon.townsend@banburymuseum.org and he will send you the link.

Don't forget that our last indoor event of the season is the Historical Artefacts Quiz on Thursday April 6th, and I hope that at least some of you have been thinking about what interesting old tools/pictures/things/(small) pieces of furniture you could bring along. All the artefacts will be laid out on tables along the bridge and the idea is that we shall all have fun trying to work out what they all are, aided by a glass of wine. I shall hope to be in receipt of interesting objects from 7 pm onwards.

Spring is here so we have been planning outings for the summer months. The first of these is a Guided tour of Shakespeare's Schoolroom and the medieval Guildhall in Stratford-upon-Avon on Saturday 13th May, meeting at 2 pm. The schoolroom was once described by the historian and broadcaster, Michael Wood, as 'one of the most atmospheric, magical and important buildings in the whole of Britain', and its restoration and conservation has been made possible by a £1.4m grant from the National Lottery fund. The timber-framed 15th-century architecture is outstanding. Our guides will also tell us about the rare historic 600-year old wall paintings in the Guildhall and its previous uses. Recent analysis of the murals has shed intriguing new light on their probable date and the hidden meanings behind their imagery.

The cost is £11.25 for adults and £9 concessions, payable in advance (by 12th April) Please contact Rosemary Leadbeater to book a place (raleadbeater@aol.com); she will send you details of how to pay and all necessary joining instructions. And of course there's lots more to see in Stratford if you want to make a day of it.

On Tuesday 6th June at 6 pm we have arranged a guided tour of Bloxham museum, St. Mary's church (definitely one of the best in Oxfordshire) and its churchyard - more details to follow in due course. Also we thought we could slot in an extra outing to Oxford: Liz Woolley, who gave us an excellent talk about 19th -century lodging houses in Oxford, and is very knowledgeable about the 19th-century history of 'town' Oxford (as opposed to 'gown'), offers a walking tour around St. Thomas' parish in Oxford, with lots of interest along the way. More details to follow, but pencilled in for June 29th.

Martin Greenwood, one of our members who has written extensively about the world of Flora Thompson and much else, is seeking to unburden himself of a number of books, most of them of local interest. I am attaching his list so do get in contact with him if you are interested in any of them. (martinwgreenwood@btinternet.com) He is not looking for any money - (but perhaps a small donation to the society?)

With best wishes,

Deborah Hayter

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(Newsletter of 30th Jan 2023)

Dear all,

February is almost upon us so it is time to tell you about our next lecture. This will be next week, on Thursday February 9th at 7.30 pm, and we shall have Dr. Simon Bradley talking to us about Revising Pevsner’s Oxfordshire. The Oxfordshire volume of Pevsner’s Buildings of England series was among the last to appear, in 1974. It is being revised, updated and expanded in two volumes, of which Alan Brooks’s Oxfordshire: North and West appeared in 2017. Simon Bradley’s companion volume on Oxford and the south east, to be published in 2023, includes much fresh research and addresses half a century of change.

Dr. Simon Bradley is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and of St John’s College, Oxford, and is an expert on historic architecture. He has published widely on buildings ranging from churches to our great Victorian railway stations. He is the series editor of the Pevsner Architectural Guides (Yale University Press), and author or co-author of five revised volumes, including Cambridgeshire and Berkshire.

As usual, the lecture will be live in the Education Studio and there will be a glass of wine available from 7 pm onwards, and it will also be streamed live via Microsoft Teams Live. If you have already signed in for this for an earlier lecture you will get the link from Simon automatically, but if you haven't, don't forget to sign in with him in plenty of time (not at 7.25 on the night itself!). (simon.townsend@banburymuseum.org).

There will be one more lecture on March 9th, about the pre-Reformation parish church, and then on April 6th we shall have another Historical Artefacts Quiz. I hope you are all scouring your shelves and cupboards for interesting and puzzling objects that you could bring along. It will help if you know what they are/what they are for. There will be a (small) prize for the person with the most right answers, and another for the most interesting object. We hope there'll be lots to interest us all.

The BHS library in the Rosemarie Higham Room continues to be open on Thursday afternoons. It's not getting a lot of use so our volunteers who spent such a lot of time getting it in order are disappointed. Please do go and have a look and use it.

It's that time of year when we start to book speakers for the next season, so if there's a topic that you would like to hear about, or a particularly good speaker that you think we all should hear, do let me know.

To see the latest issue of the OLHA e-bulletin click here.

With best wishes,

Deborah Hayter