'Thank you for tonight's talk. Fascinating! Concise, accurate and left you wanting more, or at least looking at the area in a new way. What could be better?'
'As new members we thoroughly enjoyed the talk and the photographs last night and are looking forward to the next one.'
'An interesting insight not only to the Poor Laws in the 19th century, but also into how historical researchers work and the sources they use.'
'Absolutely fascinating talk, thank you.'
'Thank you! Great maps'
All talks start at 7.30 pm on Zoom, unless we tell you otherwise. We will send you an invitation link. Details of how to book are here.
29 January 2021
Remembering Nunnery Lane and Clementhorpe: old shops and pubsSusan Major
Susan is one of our founding members. She researched and wrote our first two books about our local shops history and is working with a group of members on the latest book. Many local people have memories of the old shops and pubs in Nunnery Lane and Clementhorpe area generally. Her talk will feature highlights and old photos, looking at how trading has changed.
19 February 2021
Stray cows and iron horses: how Francis Bean escaped the Poor Law Union Elaine Bradshaw
Elaine is one of our members, and has been part of our Poverty Research Group’s project that has been examining Poor Law out-relief records of people in our area. When Francis Bean's father died, his family had no money. They survived any way they could, including some rather creative dealings with the Poor Law Union.
26 March 2021
Please note due to high demand we now have added an extra date for this talk, on Friday 16 April at 7.30 pm
Rowntree, York and the 1918 flu pandemicCatherine Oakley
Catherine is one of our members, and Executive Director of the Rowntree Society. This talk looks at the local effects of the 1918 flu pandemic in York, and the responses to it by Rowntree’s, as a family and as an employer.
21 May 2021
Landscapes of pre-industrial ClementhorpeSimon Batchelor
Simon is one of our members who has previously hosted fascinating local history walks in our area for the history group. This talk aims to look at how Clementhorpe may have developed before the industrial revolution. It will concentrate on the medieval period but will also touch on Roman settlement.
17 September 2021
The crimes of Dr Gramshaw: downfall of a Yorkshire doctorRosemary Cook
'The Crimes of Dr Gramshaw' tells the story of a successful York family doctor whose final desperate actions in 1908 brought his professional and personal life crashing down around him. Yet even after his disgrace and the revelations that followed, more than 1000 people attended his funeral ...
Rosemary Cook has a background in nursing and is the CEO of a local charity. She lives in Dringhouses and writes about historical true crimes with a nursing or medical connection.
26 November 2021
York in close up Catherine Sotheran
A virtual walk round York, showing you lots of little details hiding in plain sight that often go unnoticed. Above the shop windows and sometimes down on the ground there are some amazing things to be seen if you have time to just stop and look. Catherine is a member of our group and an accomplished photographer, with several books to her name.
4 December 2021 11am - 2 pm Jacobs Well
Bishophill - a wealth of history This year we joined forces with Bishophill History Group, to share history and resources. We're now celebrating this with a free event.
You can become a member of the History Group for a small sum of £5 for the year, which gives you reduced fee (£1) to talks. The November talk is a free bonus event for members. Non-members are also very welcome, at a cost of £3 per talk.
Bishophill - a wealth of history This year we joined forces with Bishophill History Group, to share history and resources. We're now celebrating this with a free event. Read more
