Current Events - Speaker season
NON-MEMBERS are welcome to attend our meetings, but please be aware that we rely entirely on subscriptions and voluntary contributions to cover our expenses. We therefore request that a donation of at least £3.00 is made for each non-member attendance at the meeting, or the non-member can join while at the meeting. Details of our subscription rates are on our Join Us page.
If you like what you find at our meetings, please apply for membership of our Society.
The larger our membership the more influence we can bring over matters of concern.
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Information on our speaker season appears below. The talks take place at St Marks Church Hall, Lincoln Road, PE1 2SN.
11 November 2019 7.30pm - Annual General Meeting followed by
The Role and Duties of the Lord Lieutenant with Julie Spence
Until 1921, Lord Lieutenants had the right to call upon all able-bodied men in their counties to turn out to defend the realm. This was the remaining element of their original role in Tudor times of leading and organising the local militia forces on behalf of the monarch. Nowadays, their activities centre on upholding the dignity of the Crown and include helping to organise royal visits (and acting as escort), presenting medals, liaison with local units of the armed forces, and chairing the local advisory committee for the selection of magistrates.
Julie Spence was already well known and respected throughout the county when she was appointed as Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire in 2017. Her police career of thirty-two years began with the Avon and Somerset force where she rose to the rank of superintendent, then moving to Thames Valley as an Assistant Chief Constable. She then served as Deputy Chief Constable (2004-5) and Chief Constable for Cambridgeshire (2005-10), thus gaining an unrivalled knowledge of all parts of our county. In recognition of her service, she was appointed OBE and received the Queen’s Police Medal. Since retiring from the force, she has taken on a wide range of public service and charitable roles.
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8 November 2018 7.00pm - Meet the Saxons Please click on the image left for full details. A committee member of the Society has drawn our attention to this talk, which is arranged by the St Lyneburgha Building Preservation Trust and may be of interest to visitors to this website. Please note the Society has not been involved with its arrangement so cannot assist with queries related to it. Also note the venue is different and is not free, entrance by ticket only. |
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9 December 2019 7.30pm - The Bells of Henry Penn - The Voice of the City | |
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13 January 2020 7.30pm - Three Hundred Years of the Spalding Gentleman's Society | |
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10 February 2020 7.30pm - The Great Fen Project | |
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9 March 2020 7.30pm - The Light Project in Peterborough and Homelessness in Peterborough |
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20 April 2020 7.30pm - Victorian Crime and Punishment | |
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11 May 2020 7.30pm - Oliver Cromwell |
Previous speakers
Our previous speakers and their subjects can be found here.
Completed talks
9 September 2019 7.30pm - The Horrell Family of Peterborough with Marcus Horrell
Many members of longstanding will remember receiving daily deliveries of Horrell’s locally produced milk in what now seems like a bygone age. Horrell’s dairy was indeed a major local institution, as evidenced by the fact that one of their milk bottles can still command a premium price on e-bay!
However, the Horrell family have also made a major contribution to life in Peterborough in many different ways unrelated to our diet. They have long been prominent in local government, both in city and county, in local health provision through the Robert Horrell Cancer Centre, and in many other charitable and public service fields.
In this talk, Marcus Horrell, a member of the Society for many years, will set out for us the story of his family and how they came to play their part in such a wide range of activities.
14 October 2019 7.30pm - The Emergence of the English with Professor Susan Oosthuizen
This will be held at the John Clare Theatre, Central Library, Broadway and not at our usual venue.
What happened to Britain after the withdrawal of Roman government in the year 410? Did Saxons, Jutes and Angles fill a vacuum to become the first English? If so, what became of the existing inhabitants and their well-established way of life? It's a fascinating subject of special relevance to us in the Nene Valley where the Roman presence was so strong.
The two centuries after 410 used to be seen as the darkest of the Dark Ages. Not any more. In exploring this period, we are fortunate to have the guidance of Susan Oosthuizen, Professor of Medieval Archaeology at Cambridge University. Professor Oosthuizen’s research has focused on the development of the English rural landscape between 400 and 1300 AD, including the transformation of the landscapes of Roman Britain into the fields and pastures of the Middle Ages. Her publications include: "The Anglo-Saxon Fenland" (2017) and "The Emergence of the English: Rethinking the Evidence" (2019) which is the theme of this talk.
Refreshments will be available after this meeting, for which donations are requested of £3.00 per person.
Summer visits
Our summer visits for 2019 are now completed. Below is for information purposes only. They are initially publicised to members only, and only then released to the public if spaces remain to be filled. So to ensure you do not miss out on these or any other activities we may get involved in, become a member now.
For details on our very modest subscription rates and how to join please visit our Join Us page. The larger our membership the more influence we can bring over matters of concern
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Guided tour in Oundle - afternoon of Tuesday 25 JuneThis is now fully booked We will divide into two groups each led by an experienced town guide. Starting at the Old Town Hall town, we will progress westwards taking in the noteworthy buildings en route including Oundle Museum which has won various awards, including Best Volunteer Project, 2018, at the Northants Heritage Awards. The rich history of Oundle includes many exhibits from the Roman, Saxon and Medieval periods. At the end of the tour tea and scones will be provided at a separate location. |
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Cromwell Museum, Huntingdon, afternoon of Wednesday 17 JulyCompleted. Another get-yourself-there trip and various public car parking options available not too far from the location. We will divide into two groups. One will receive a guided tour of the Museum from the curator, Stuart Orme, whilst the other will have a tour of the old Town Hall nearby. The groups will then swap guides so that we all have a complete experience. The 2 buildings will be visited in the course of about one hour. Refreshments are not provided but there are many cafes, restaurants and pubs close by for us to visit before returning home. |
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Treasures of Thorney - afternoon of Thursday 1 AugustThis is now fully booked. Our guide will be Dorothy Halfhide and includes viewing of Thorney Heritage Museum, especially opened for us. A talk from Dorothy on the history of this remarkable HQ of the Duke of Bedford's Thorney estate and model village and current issues. Then a presentation by Paul Sharman, Chief Exec. of the North Level Internal Drainage Board on managing fenland waters. Then a walk to Thorney Abbey followed by a talk on the history of the Abbey. Optional walk close to Abbey to view the Abbey fields and The Green area. |
Committee Meetings
Committee meetings are normally arranged on the first Monday of each month throughout the year, except January and May which are on the second Monday.
Summaries of the society's talks and accounts of its visits appear in our Annual Report. The contents of our most recent Annual Reports are listed here To obtain a copy please write or email our Secretary.