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The Local History Group (LHG)
The Local History Group provides a forum and meeting point for members with a particular interest in the local history of Abingdon and its region.
There are three meetings during the year, starting in February, with subsequent meetings in May, and October. At each meeting, one or two members give short presentations on their current research, which are discussed. Tea and coffee are provided, and there is usually ample opportunity for socialising and informal talk on historical subjects.
There are also sub-groups which form from time to time for specific purposes. One that is currently active is the Abingdon Buildings and People group, which manages the Abingdon historical website, http://www.abingdon.gov.uk/partners/history.
Meetings are (usually) on Tuesday evenings, 7.45 pm, in the Pendarvis room at 35 Ock Street OX14 5AG.
We welcome anyone with a question about Abingdon local history as we usually have a knowledgeable audience who can answer them. There is also the opportunity to share anything you have done about Abingdon or the surrounding area with those present.
Please let me know so that I can make sure we allocate you some time.
All AAAHS Members and guests are welcome.
Picture © M Brod 2013
Next Local History Group (LHG) meeting:
- Tuesday 19th May 2020
- Tuesday 20th October 2020
Meetings start at 7.45 in the Pendarvis Room at 35 Ock Street, Abingdon OX 14 5AG.
For security reasons the front door of 35 Ock Street is kept locked, so ring the bell and you will be let in. Go up the stairs and the Pendarvis Room is on your left.
For more information contact John Foreman, at local@aaahs.org.uk
AAAHS Local History Group Convenor
Previous Local History Group Meetings
Meeting held on Tuesday 18 February 2020
Meeting held on Thursday 30 May 2019
John Foreman writes: So far we have Manfred and Jessica Brod in perhaps their final attendance here. Manfred will be rounding off some of his research. To quote: “the significance of the Berkshire nabobs in the 1780s and 90s.” Nabobs is an interesting word that we do not hear much nowadays https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/nabob. Also the intriguing “the connection between a couple of political meetings at the Abingdon Guildhall in 1780 and the future sex-life of the future George IV”!
Meeting held on Tuesday 19th February 2019.
Meeting held on Tuesday 30th October 2018.
Manfred Brod talked about the Abingdon food riots of the 18th century, which were quite lively. Jackie Smith spoke about 'Daughters of the Empire' and the Norman (family) and Sandys connections. John Foreman asked why the Farringdon Road is where it is and not on the route we would go today. This evoked many ingenious theories. Bob Frampton talked entertainingly on the history of the Abingdon Fair, fairs in general and the influence of technology on their development.
Outings Reports
The 1940 'Red-Stop Line'. By John Rawling
The County Museum store. By Bob Woodings
Abingdon School ( 4 July 2017). By Paul Smith
The Archaeology of North Abingdon. By Andrew Steele
Northcourt. By Genefer Clark
Victorian Abingdon. By Stuart Hughes
Appleton. By Michael Bloom
The Dorchester Dig. By Andrew Steele
The Dorchester excavations. By John Rawling
Egrove and Kennington. By Jill Lewis
The Thames, Kennington to Sandford. By Jenny Devanney
Longworth. By Mary Storrs
The excavations at Marcham/Frilford. By Jenny Devanney
The excavation at Marcham/Frilford. By Miriam James
Marlow. By Bryan Cozens
Ashmolean tour. By Michael Bloom
The Bate Collection. By Anne Smithson
Walking tour of Oxford. By Bob Woodings
Oxford's Jewish Quarter. By Carol Hughes
A visit to Brasenose College. By Penny de Bernhardt Cookson
Christ Church, Oxford. By Roger Gelder
Oriel College. By Andrew Steele
Somerville College, Oxford (21 June 2017). By Wendy Robbins
Unseen Oxford. By John Rawling
Radley College. By Stuart Hughes
Exploring Lower Radley. By John Foreman
The Bayeux Tapestry copy at Reading. By Suzette Woodhead
Steventon. By John Rawling
Sunningwell Village (22 May 2017). By Andrew Steele
Wilts and Berks canal. By Sybille Rushbridge
Outings
The Society has several Outings during the year. Details will appear here when the 2020 Outings have been arranged.
Abingdon Archaeology @ 50
HERITAGE LOTTERY FUND GRANT FOR ABINGDON ARCHAEOLOGY PROJECT
Abingdon claims to be England’s oldest continuously inhabited town. This claim is based on archaeology, but very little information about this is available to the public. Many Abingdon people live on housing estates where nationally important excavations have taken place, but are completely unaware of this.
Since 1968, the Abingdon Area Archaeological & Historical Society (AAAHS) has carried out over a hundred different archaeological projects in and around Abingdon. Some have produced very important results. However, much has not been published, and the records and finds are of this work are scattered (and, in some cases, at risk of loss). Information about Abingdon’s rich and important archaeology is not easily accessible to residents or visitors.
The Society has been very fortunate, therefore, in its 50thanniversary year, to be awarded a grant of £24,200 from the Heritage Lottery Fund, to put the archives of our past archaeological projects in order and to make information about the archaeology of Abingdon more accessible.
The project is being carried out in partnership with Oxford Archaeology and Oxfordshire County Council’s Archaeology Service. The aims of the project are:
(1) to create a comprehensive list and archive for all the archaeological projects which the Society has carried out. This will include adding an entry for each project to the Oxfordshire County Historic Environment Record (HER), so that all the results of the Society’s work are public accessible (and also available to influence future planning decisions).
(2) to create an interactive online map of the archaeology of Abingdon, to enable people to discover what has been found (including on their own housing estates).
(3) to publish a short and accessible book on to the archaeology of Abingdon.
(4) to promote the archaeology of Abingdon to the public through a variety of events. We have already mounted an exhibition in Abingdon Museum (July-September 2018), a day of talks (30 June 2018) and a weekend of archaeological activities for children at the Museum (July 2018). Further events will take place over the life of the project.
The project will be done mainly by volunteers (with some professional advice, support and training from staff in Oxford Archaeology). If you would like to volunteer on the project, and get some hands-on experience of dealing with archaeological finds and archives from a wide range of sites, please contact Roger Thomas.
If you have any queries about the project, please contact us via 50@aaahs.org.uk. We will post periodic updates about the project here as work progresses. Some photographs of the work in progress can be found at this link www.noirplus.com.
Digging Abingdon's Past
Abingdon claims to be the oldest continuously-inhabited town in England, with defences that date back to the Iron Age. The AAAHS has carried out numerous excavations in and around Abingdon, and members participate in digs elsewhere.
The main focus of current interest is a small cemetery with at least twenty burials found in the garden of a house in North Abingdon, far from any church or chapel or from the approach roads to the town. Radio-carbon dating suggests that the bones are of the 16th or 17th centuries, a time when burials outside a churchyard are uncommon. They may be the results of an epidemic, or of an otherwise unrecorded Civil War skirmish. Archive research is ongoing.
For further information, or if you want to become involved, please contact diggers@aaahs.org.uk.
The AAAHS on-line research archive
These archive pages link to AAAHS material not published elsewhere and which is of continuing interest.
There are also sets of research notes and/or photographs produced for specific projects, notably the 'Lost Abbey' project of 2009-12 which culminated in an exhibition and a book on Abingdon Abbey by our Archaeological Advisor, Tim Allen.
The society also has a substantial archive of documents and artefacts. These are under the care of its archivist who can be contacted though the Contacts page.
Most of this material is downloadable. Please note that the copyright belongs to individual authors and/or the AAAHS. You may not make any commercial use of it without permission. You may cite it or publish brief excerpts so long as the source is acknowledged. References should take the form Author's name if stated and otherwise Abingdon Area Arch. and Hist. Society, page URL from which downloaded, (accessed [date of access]).
Other AAAHS Websites
The Abingdon Buildings & People website now has almost 100 articles on Abingdon's historic streets and buildings, its families and people. The project is ongoing, and would welcome additional members.
The Ock Street Heritage Project is no longer active, but much of its output is available online.
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/aaahs/info is a group site for discussion of anything within the AAAHS field of interest. You don't have to be a member to join. If you have a question about Abingdon's history or archaeology, an opinion to air or an announcement to make, this is the place.
Other Abingdon interest
The Abingdon town website - information, organisations, events
The Abingdon Blog - a long-running chronicle of local happenings
Abingdon Walks - walks, information and picture gallery
Friends of Abingdon - civic society
Abingdon Roll of Honour - Abingdon men in the Great War
Abingdon Roll of Honour - searchable
Charters of Abingdon Abbey in the time of Faritius - what you get when you are obstetrician to the king's wife and mistresses!
Oxfordshire Historian and writer Julie Ann Godson covers the Abingdon area. She has a FaceBook page and a website.
Abingdon and surrounding areas facts and history is an interesting FaceBook page
Related societies in and around Abingdon
Sutton Courtenay Local History Society
Berkshire Family History Society (VoWH Branch)
Regional Societies
Oxfordshire Local History Association
Berkshire Local History Association
Oxfordshire Architectural and Historical Society
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Neither AAAHS, nor any of its members makes any representation or warranty as to the reliability, accuracy or completeness of the information contained on this website and none of them accept any responsibility arising in any way for errors in, or omissions from, the information contained on this website. Although every care has been taken in presenting this information some of it may be incorrect or incomplete, hence the creator of this website and/or any researcher or writer mentioned in it disclaim any liability in relation to the information, errors or omissions contained herein.
Any person intending to use or rely on this information should first confirm it for themselves from other sources. Nevertheless any corrections or additional information will be most welcome.