Our Aims

Our Club's aims are to:

Learn collaboratively about the history, heritage and archaeology of Norwich and Norfolk

Develop resources and activities that contribute to the wider community’s understanding of history and archaeology

Develop activities that enhance/maintain the wellbeing and emotional resilience of club members

Be actively inclusive – open, accessible and welcoming to all


Sunday, 22 February 2026

The Corsbies - a family of Norwich Union clerks

Here is an article from the Aviva Group Archive that provides further details on some of the stories Grace was reciting on Tuesday.  It is interesting to learn how the clerks lived and worked in the early Norwich Union of 19th century, the fines for being late, how long you could stand in front of the fire to get warm, but there were a number of clerks that worked for the company for many years including Joseph Corsbie who worked for N.U. for 50 years and received a warping £130 p.a. (£129K today).  Poor fellow he only received this income for a year before he died.  To find out more, please select the following link:  

https://avivaarchive.medium.com/the-corsbies-a-family-of-norwich-union-clerks-1624536a085a

Monday, 16 February 2026

Why is Abraham Lincoln connected to Hingham and Swanton Morley in Norfolk?

Did you know that Abraham Lincoln’s (yes the 16th American President's) ancestors lived in Norfolk and if the eldest son of Richard Lincoln, named Samuel, had inherited his will, then he may never have emigrated from Hingham to the Americas and Abraham Lincoln may never has existed.  To find out more, please select the following link:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/norfolk/content/articles/2009/02/12/abe_lincoln_swanton_20090212_feature.shtml

Sunday, 8 February 2026

Mary Wollstonecraft

An excellent talk by Chad Goodwin about Mary Wollstonecraft on Tuesday.  Mary was an English writer, philosopher, and foundational feminist advocate who argued that women are not naturally inferior to men but appear so due to a lack of education. Best known for A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792), she demanded educational, social, and economic equality for women.  Here is an interesting article about Mary:  

https://www.historyextra.com/period/georgian/mary-wollstonecraft-life-works-death-legacy/


Monday, 2 February 2026

History of King's Lynn Mart

I visited Kings Lynn last week and I was impressed with the museum located inside the town hall.  Did you know that Kings Lynn was the fourth largest port in England in medieval times, the other three ports were London, Southampton and Boston.  Anyway there was an information board in the museum stating that there had been a Mart in Kings Lynn for 800 years.  The Mart (meaning market) was originally an annual trading fair established by a Royal Charter by King John and was indicative of a typical medieval fair of the time.  By the 18th century it evolved into more of a fun far with games, performances, oddities and you guessed - drinking.  The 19th century brought more innovation and in particular, steam driven roundabouts which were the brain child of Frederick Savage, a local engineer.  To find out more please select the following link:

https://www.klmagazine.co.uk/articles/kings-lynn-mart#