News | Famous Men

SAFFRON WALDEN TOUR

There will be a conducted walk around Saffron Walden by a Blue Badge guide on Sunday the 22nd of June at 2pm, covering the medieval buildings, Bridge End gardens and St. Mary's church. The cost is £3.50 per person. Book with Alan or Hazel Weedon on 01799 599366

The next general meeting and AGM of the Hempstead History Group will be held on Thursday, 21st February 2008 at 8.00pm, in the Village Hall.
There will be a ‘brief’ AGM to begin with, reviewing the Group’s activities over the last twelve months and to elect the committee for the coming year. The existing committee would be delighted to welcome ‘new blood’.
Cath Sladen will give a brief talk on the servant’s quarters at Audley End. There will be an opportunity to visit the quarters for a guided tour on a Saturday in March.
Interested or simply fascinated by the country about you? The final part of the evening will be a film portraying the great changes in farming life during the last century.

We look forward to seeing you there

For a printable version please click here

Jim Rennie

History Group - Rogation Weekend

A good sized group of locals gathered together to follow a history walk around the village on 12th May. Starting from the village hall up through the Glebe to the church.
Alan Weedon gave a short talk on the history of the church which was followed by a visit to the crypt.

Hazel Weedon led the walk providing interesting details and facts en route around the village.

Thank you to all involved in organising the event, especially Hazel and Alan.

On Thursday 22nd Feb, the Hempstead History Group held its AGM in the Village Hall. Of the original 4 committee members, Charles Flaxman and Jill Rudder stood down this year and Gavin Rowden and Jim Rennie stepped forward to join Hazel and Alan Weedon to form the 2007 committee.

The group operates with minimum assets as there are no projects that demand great financial outlay and they have benefited from many speakers offering their time and facilities at no cost. We were lucky enough to experience just such an occasion immediately following the AGM, when Lizzie Sanders and Gillian Williamson of Littlebury spoke on the history of their village.

The Millennium Society had been the starting point for their project and very quickly they realised that they had a large number of listed buildings and some properties with hidden histories inside. This led to them seeking some expert advice and opened up avenues of exploration for them, leading to the Charter House in London amongst others.

In 2002 they started work on a book and by 2005 had produced a beautiful glossy book ‘Littlebury – A Parish History’ with great pictures and information spanning several hundred years.

One particular exercise undertaken as part of the history work was a ‘Field Walk’ by 30 volunteers, where a field is divided up into a number of individual square metres, and a fingertip search is made for any historical items. This has to be done in September on a ploughed and harrowed field and with the farmers consent. The search revealed an extraordinary gold coin from around 1100, almost in mint condition, plus a further Roman coin. It is amazing that these were just lying on the surface after such a long period of time.

Gillian and Lizzie had masses of warmth and passion about their project, the people they had met and what they had learned. They were thanked for a very memorable evening and several copies of the book were purchased by the attendees. A glass of wine and questions rounded off the evening.

The Group has previously held two very successful evenings, at which attendance has been greatly in excess of membership alone. The first of these was a talk on ‘Dick Turpin, the myths and the facts’, to commemorate this particular Hempstead resident’s birthday in September 2005, which was followed by a ghostly appearance, (or so some members reported), at the ‘Bluebell’ where many attendees repaired for a special supper. (A very special supper, evidently).

The second was a talk on Admiral Sir Eliab Harvey, who commanded a ship of the line at the battle of Trafalgar in October 1805, whose family owned at the time a substantial estate in Hempstead, and who is buried in St. Andrew’s church.

In response to many requests from members and non-members we hope that another film archive evening, of films about Essex life from 1900 onwards will be held in the early part of 2006. Details will be advertised as widely as possible in advance.

Membership is open to all, and new members will be warmly welcomed.

Enquiries or applications for membership to Alan Weedon, please 599366.

Meetings are notified to all members in advance, and also appear in the What’s On page of this web-site as well as the Hempstead Village Diary.

Charles Flaxman

Useful Links

Recording Uttlesford History - http://www.recordinguttlesfordhistory.org.uk/