Whether your interest in history is personal, academic, or just a more general desire to find out how our forefathers lived, the Linton and District History Society offers a friendly welcome and helpful advice.
We meet on the first Wednesday of every month except January, 7 for 7:30 p.m., in Linton Village Hall. Tea and coffee are available at the start of the meeting. Annual membership is £20, and speaker meetings are free to members. Visitors are always welcome, and pay £5 per meeting.
Our programmes aim to cover local, national and international history – there is something for all interests, and we welcome suggestions for topics.
For all enquiries, contact our Chairman, Ernst Zillekens, ldhschair@gmail.com in the first instance.
Our next meeting is on 6th November and is our annual Founders’ Lecture. Philip Bowen makes a welcome return to speak about the Decline of the Aristocracy and the Country House. Philip says “In 1870 the British Aristocracy living in their great houses dominated our country in a way that was unique in our entire history. A rapid decline soon began which had already reached crisis point for many by 1914. The Great War, the 1920 and 30s, the 2nd World War and Atlee’s Government turned crisis to catastrophe. We shall examine the reasons for their fall; follow their declining fortunes, regret the destruction of so many houses but rejoice that survivors thrive”.
Programme
2024
| 6th November: Founders’ Lecture 2024 | Philip Bowen | The Decline of the Aristocracy and the Country House |
| 4th December | Gillian White | The Hugely Huggable History of the Teddy Bear |
| 2025 | ||
| 5th February | Andy Moir | Dendrochronology and dating of timber-framed buildings in Herefordshire |
| 5th March | Chairman’s Lecture : Ernst Zillekens | Bess of Hardwicke |
| 2nd April | AGM |
Review of our October meeting
Another well-attended meeting, at which Ray Wilson talked about the industrial heritage of our neighbouring district, the Forest of Dean. Ray has long been a luminary of the group which exists to study and restore examples of industrial history in Gloucestershire, and was therefore well placed to give us a “Cook’s tour” of the many sites in the Forest which speak to us of the coal mining, lime treatment, iron ore extraction and other industrial processes which were once so prevalent.
Although there is still small-scale coal extraction by Freeminers, the bulk of this activity has now vanished, leaving signs that can easily be missed under Nature’s determined efforts to reclaim the landscape. Former railway tracks and tramways have become paths for walkers and cyclists. Ray recommends a visit to the Dean Heritage Centre in Soudley https://www.deanheritagecentre.org/ , itself a former industrial site.
Family history
We have transferred the main part of our Archive to the Herefordshire Archive and Record Centre, which is also the main port of call for those researching family history. Some of our parish records can be accessed via this link
Articles of interest
Society members write a weekly column for the Ross Gazette, and we are lucky that these are regularly published. If you would like to submit an article, please contact our Secretary.
Committee members :
Ernst Zillekens (Chairman)
Teresa Squires (Secretary)
Roger Davies (Treasurer)
Valerie Boxley (Outings Secretary) 01452 831374
Pamela Bruce
John Foley