18 January

  Mike Smith "The Manor of Wheathampstead"

  Review: More than 50 people came to this talk and learned an enormous amount, not only about the vast  11,000  acre extent of the manor, but about field names then and now, medieval ploughs and ploughing, and  how  geology and landscape affected the shape and size of fields. MORE

15 February

  Paul Jiggens "The Welwyn Brewery: Beer in Welwyn in Days Gone By"

  Review:  In this excellent talk, Paul told the story of The Welwyn Brewery, set in the wider context of the history of brewing in Hertfordshire. Despite Welwyn being an important settlement in the 19th century, the brewery was always relatively small and changed hands several times before eventually being sold to McMullen, the last brewers in the county, and being closed down. Paul showed us a number of fascinating photographs of the Brewery and its owners in the 19th and early 20th century.

15 March

  John Cox "Field Marshal Frederic Rudolph Lambart, 10th Earl of Cavan, 1865-1946"   

Review: The 10th Earl of Cavan was one of Wheathampstead's most distinguished residents, having lived at Wheathampstead House for many years. John told the story of Lord Cavan's remarkable life, covering his background, family history and military career, particularly during World War I. John explored Cavan's connections with his contemporaries in Wheathampstead: Lord Northcliffe, proprietor of the Daily Mail, and William Beach Thomas,                               war correspondent of the Daily Mail. 

19 April

  Annual General Meeting

 "Wheathampstead's inns, pubs and beer houses, 1830 - 1914"

 Review: Jon Mein opened this session by describing the rise and fall of the Victorian pub in Wheathampstead.  The 1830 Beerhouse Act resulted in six such establishments in Wheathampstead in 1830 becoming 27 in  1872. Jon showed us maps of the locations of all these, distinguishing between beerhouses and alehouses.

 Peter Jeffreys then explained the context and the impact of the 1904 Licensing Act which resulted in many  beerhouses being closed, including The Two Brewers and The Bricklayers' Arms in the High Street.

 Patrick McNeill told us the story of The Bricklayers' Arms (aka The Boot), a classic example of a beerhouse  that opened in the 1830s, limped through the 19^th century with a change of licensee every few years, and was  closed in 1908.

 In contrast, Ruth Jeavons showed how The Swan, established long before 1830 and still flourishing today,  was a highly respectable business, managed by the same family for 50 years and hosting auctions,  meetings and dinners with accommodation for lodgers and their horses.

17 May

  Kate Harwood "The History of Allotments"

  Review: In this comprehensive and well-illustrated presentation on the history of allotments, Kate Harwood  took us from medieval herb gardens to war-time allotments in London. The 19^th century Enclosure Acts gave  the initial impetus to ensure cottagers' rights to a plot of land to sustain themselves, later championed by the  Chartists and Ruskin's Guild of St George. Allotments saved us from starvation during the two world wars.  Today, allotments are threatened as councils come under pressure to take the land for housing. About  200,000 allotments have disappeared from across the UK in the last 25 years.  

 3 June

  Medieval Field Walk, led by Mike Smith

 Fourteen members of the Society took part in this walk, which was a follow-up to Mike's very successful talk  on 18 January. On a beautiful sunny afternoon, Mike led us round a three-mile route that  covered five of the  main medieval fields surrounding the village. He also gave each of us  a map showing the locations of the  twelve fields that are named in medieval documents.  While emphasising that some of his findings are  provisional rather than  conclusive, Mike  demonstrated his extensive knowledge of this period of the history of  Wheathampstead.    

 17 June

 'Tales from the Village'. A concert of 18th century West Gallery Music and Readings

 7.30 pm at St Helen's Church, Wheathampstead. More

 18 June

 Welwyn Festival Roman Day

 Roman day at Welwyn Roman Bath house 11am - 4pm. Tony Rook will be conducting guided tours of Roman  baths. There will also be children's activities.  

 For more about this year's Festival, click here.

 21 June

  Alistair Hodgson "Salisbury Hall and Sir Geoffrey de Havilland" 

 On one of the hottest evenings of the year, Alistair Hodgson gave a most fascinating talk. He started with a  short history of Salisbury Hall and then told us about Sir Geoffrey de Havilland and his achievements, and  those of his son, as they developed and manufactured some of the most important aircraft of the 20^th century,  in particular the Mosquito, the Tiger Moth and the Comet passenger jet. He explained, in laypersons'  language, some of the technical challenges and the imaginative ways in which they were solved, including  how the problem of loading shells into the breech of a gun while in the air was solved by a company that  made slot machines for cigarettes. The talk was interspersed with some amusing anecdotes and Alistair concluded  by encouraging us to visit the de Havilland Aircraft Museum at Salisbury Hall of which he is curator.  

 24 June

 Hertfordshire Association for Local History: Visit to Benington Lordship

 10.30 am to 12.00 pm. For details, click here.

 8 and 9 July

 Codicote Local History Society

 Digging archaeology test pits and exploring Codicote's hidden past

 The History Society is digging 1m x 1 m test pits to discover more about Codicote village, its past inhabitants  and their  everyday lives.  

 Volunteers are needed to dig the test pits and to provide support in collating and cleaning finds.

 Anyone can help, and everyone aged 18 or over can dig.  Basic training in archaeological digging and finds  recording will be provided by Keith Fitzpatrick-Matthews, North Herts Archaeologist.

 If you are interested in taking part, contact Codicote Local History Society. Tel: 01438 821849  

 8 July

 Welwyn Archaeological Society Summer coach outing  

 Flag Fen, Longthorpe Tower and Peterborough

 Flag Fen is a Bronze Age site, which due to its waterlogged nature has many of its original features  preserved. It has a display of finds and reconstructions of Bronze Age round houses.

 Longthorpe Tower is a medieval tower with important 14th century wall paintings

 Peterborough has a magnificent Norman cathedral, which is the burial place of Catherine of Aragon, first wife  of Henry VIII. The museum currently has an exhibition of finds from Must Farm.

 Details of cost and times to follow.

 To reserve a seat email Kris at noviodunum@hotmail.com or phone Clare 07970 515524 and leave a  message.

 9 July

 Wheathampstead Village Day

 The theme for this year is "When I Grow up". The Society's stall will emulate this theme with an exhibition  of     photographs of many of the village pubs "then and now". More

19 July

  Jon Mein "The Reverend Henry Small of St Albans and the missing £20,000"

 In 1815 Reverend Henry Small was appointed rector of the Abbey parish in St Albans. Late in 1834 he fled to  France leaving behind substantial debts out of kilter with his income. Based on new research, this talk  explores a surprising story that attracted the attention of the then Prime Minister and involved an inspiring  resolution. It also considers Small's actions as part of a series of local financial scandals that affected  everyone in St Albans - rich and poor - in the 1820-1850 period. 

  NO AUGUST MEETING

20 September 

  Kris Lockyear "The History of Lamer"

18 October

  Julie Moore "The Home Front during World War One"

15 November

  Members' evening: a chance to share your history research

 At this meeting, members are invited to talk about their own research for up to ten minutes. Last year, these  talks covered ancient field patterns,  the discovery of a long lost and forgotten local pub, two very different  local rectors (one good, the other not so good) and the joys to come from a study of Isaac House's 1794  account book. Please let us know if you would like to contribute this year.

20 December

  Christmas party