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Meeting date :- 19 September 2007
Subject and speaker :- 'The History of the Wool Trade' - a talk by Martin Way
Narrative :-
In a very interesting talk, Martin first gave us the background to the wool trade. The wool trade didn't really get going until the Romans arrived when it was exported all over the Roman Empire, and was the main export of Britain at that time. After the Romans left, wool continued to be the main trade of the Cotswold area but as it became more important, the arable land was turned over to sheep. The consequence of this was a rise in food prices, famine and a depoplulation of the Cotswold area. A new type of sheep called the 'Cotswold Lion' was developed but when machinery started to replace people in the processing of wool, the wool from these sheep was too silky and almost led to the demise of the 'Lion' as it was replaced. In the medieval times, the fleeces weighed between 14lbs to 27lbs and a sack would weigh 364lbs. Sheep skins or Fells were also a big export as, during the winter, the farmers would need to cull a good part of the flock so that the others had enough food to over-winter. There were two routes used by trains of up to 500 pack horses, both starting at Burford, which went through Wantage. One went via the Ridgeway and ended up in Sandwich, Kent for export to Calais whilst the second went through Winchester and Southampton bound for Florence, Italy. Due to the risk of shipwreck, the merchants would split their stock and use up to five ships. Towards the end of the talk, Martin showed us various implements used by the shepherds and their uses, plus some the clothing worn. I think we left the meeting with a much better understanding of the part played by Cotswold sheep in the history of our country.
Author :- James Sheppy
Date written :- 10.10.07
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Meeting date :- 13 October 2007
Subject and speaker :- A visit to 'Pendon Museum - Indoor Model Village & Railways, Oxfordshire'
Narrative :-
Meet at 10.50am - Pendon Museum, Long Wittenham, Oxfordshire - Directions can be found on www.pendonmuseum.com or alternatively, please contact a committee member.
Author :- Cyndy Sheppy
Date written :- 31/05/07
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Meeting date :- 17 October 2007
Subject and speaker :- 'The Scout Movement' - a talk by Trevor Parry
Narrative :-
At the October meeting, one of our members, Trevor Parry, gave a most interesting talk on the history of the Scout movement. As a scout for 60 years he was very knowledgeable, especially about scouting in Bloxham and Banbury. Nearly everyone knows about the activities of Baden-Powell in the Boer War, which led him to write his book on Scouting for Boys (and later for girls), but not many of us knew about the astonishing things that scouts did for the War effort during the First World War right here in Banbury. The First Bloxham Group was started in 1911 and is the oldest group now in North Oxfordshire. After the war, scouting and guiding flourished all over the country. Bloxham became the local centre for scouting and in the 1930's had the largest troop in the county, with its own band. It even made a feature film which was shown in the Ex-servicemans' Hall! Sadly the 2nd World War had a disatrous effect and although scouting in all its forms still gives pleasure to many, the glory days never came again.
Author :- Jill Puckering
Date written :- 6/12/07
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Meeting date :- 21 November 2007
Subject and speaker :- AGM followed by 'Banbury Boatyard and Canal' - a talk by Matt Armitage
Narrative :-
Author :- Cyndy Sheppy
Date written :- 12/05/07
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Meeting date :- 16 January 2008
Subject and speaker :- 'Romans in Oxfordshire' - a talk by Bill King
Narrative :-
At the start of the New Year, members enjoyed the lively and informative talk on the Romans in Britain, given by Bill King. He was particularly good on the invasions, starting with Julius Caesar in 55BC, and the opposition in some areas, notably by Boudicca (Boadicea). We still use roads that the Romans built, among them the nearby Fosse Way which runs in a straight line from Exeter to Lincoln and the Humber.
Author :- Jill Puckering
Date written :- 29/01/08
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Meeting date :- 20 February 2008
Subject and speaker :- 'How you got your name' - a talk by Dr Cyril Dunsby
Narrative :-
Surnames can be traced back to river names (Celtic and Pre Celtic), place names (Anglo- Saxon, Norse or Norman) and other surnames from the years 1200-1400. Names were not written down but passed down by word of mouth so they were quite often modified as the years passed by. Some names were used as a reference to the type of job someone did e.g. Sutter (Shoe maker), Dyer, etc. They were also created to show the relationship between father and son e.g. Hudson (son of Hud), etc, while others were Norse names for locations like Thorp (Farm) Botham (Valley). Anglo Saxon names like Ton, Ham, Ford, etc, were also used as was “by the place of “ like Oak (Sevenoaks), Lea (Atlea). Nicknames were also used but were not as common as the others and could refer to the appearance, physique, temperament, or habits of the person. Wise, Snow (colour of hair), Bull and many more were adopted. Other later influences were the result of immigration and the anglicising of names like the Jewish name Burkaviche became Burke. At the end of the meeting those who had previously supplied their surnames to Dr Dunsby were treated to an explanation of how and where they originated. It was an excellent evening and we were very impressed by Dr Dunsby knowledge and wit in making the subject so interesting and enjoyable.
Author :- James Sheppy
Date written :- 04/03/08
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Meeting date :- 19 March 2008
Subject and speaker :- 'The History of Thatch' - a talk by John Letts
Narrative :-
John Letts gave a fascinating talk about the history of thatching and all the different methods used. He told us that traditional straw thatch is very thick and the bottom layers are never removed so that it is possible to find medieval seeds in them and work out what was being grown. We learned about the different properties of wheat and reed for thatching and indeed all the other things used around the world from banana leaves to seaweed, heather and gorse. The talk was accompanied by excellent photographs.
Author :- Jill Puckering
Date written :- 27/04/08
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Meeting date :- 16 April 2008
Subject and speaker :- 'The History of Bloxham School' - a talk by Sean McCloghry
Narrative :-
Major Shaw McCloghry, a former master of the school, spoke to the April meeting about the history of Bloxham School. He had a wealth of documents on which to draw and a fascinating tale about the early attempts to start a school here, the first of which failed, being over-ambitious and too expensive. The second attempt by the Rev Philip Egerton succeeded brilliantly, with some help and encouragement from Lancing College and the Woodard Foundation. Stories and jokes about the doings of various old boys made for a lively evening.
Author :- Jill Puckering
Date written :- 10/05/08
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Meeting date :- 21 May 2008
Subject and speaker :- 'Houses and History - reading buildings for clues to the past' - a talk by David Clark
Narrative :-
Author :- Cyndy Sheppy
Date written :- 12/05/07
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Meeting date :- 14 June 2008
Subject and speaker :- Outing to Court Barn Museum, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire
Narrative :-
Visit to the Arts and Crafts museum at the Court Barn, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire. Meeting at 2.30pm - Cost £5 (includes entrance fee and talk) Maximum numbers 25. For details, please contact Jill Puckering on 01295 722028 or David Robson on 01295 720596.
Author :- Cyndy Sheppy
Date written :- 10.05.08
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Meeting date :- 22 June 2008
Subject and speaker :- Summer Outing - Belvoir Castle, Leicestershire
Narrative :-
The History Club outing will be on Sunday 22nd June 2008 to Belvoir Castle, Leicestershire - art treasures, historic gardens, restaurant. Coach leaves Elephant and Castle at 9.00am and arrives at Belvoir Castle around noon, after a short coffee stop at Melton Mowbray. The coach will return to Bloxham around 6.30pm. The cost will be in the region of £16 if coach is full. There may be places available to non-members of the History Club. For more details contact either David Robson Tel: 01295 720596 or Jill Puckering, on 01295 722028
Author :- Cyndy Sheppy
Date written :- 04/03/08
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Meeting date :- 03 July 2008
Subject and speaker :- Outing to Tooley's Boatyard, Banbury
Narrative :-
Meet at 7.00pm - Tooley's Boatyard. Cost £5 payable on the night. Tooley’s Boatyard is a rare example of a small boat building and repair yard, once common in previous centuries. The listed buildings of the forge and dry dock were built in 1790 and are now Scheduled Ancient Monuments.The boatyard has been in continuous use since and gives a rare insight into the development of boatyard and canal side culture. Our guided tours include: · The 200 year old working forge · The 1920’s Carpenter’s shop · The 1920’s paint store · The 1930’s working belt machinery workshop · Vintage engines · The 200 year old working dry-dock · A short boat trip on the Oxford Canal. For further information, please contact Jill Puckering on 01295 722028 or David Robson on 01295 720596.
Author :- Cyndy Sheppy
Date written :- 10.05.08
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