Tues 30th April - Professor Tom Williamson will be talking about Landscape History

On Tuesday we have the amazing Tom Williamson, Professor of Landscape History at UEA, coming to talk to us about a landscape historian's approach to understanding the historic environment of Norfolk. I was lucky enough to spend a day with Tom at St Benet's Abbey today (see pic) and I can HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you attend this one. He is a fabulous communicator, brimming with energy, enthusiasm and ideas - and he's funny too! 

I am also really looking forward to catching up with Club members having missed the last two sessions, following visits to Birmingham and London, respectively. 

~ Colin ~

Visiting Norwich Castle Museum

Club members listening to storyteller, Dave Tong, in Norwich

Castle Museum keep ground floor basement

I must admit, due to the weather conditions, I was a bit worried about the turnout for today's session. However, my worries were soon allayed as, once again, we had a fantastic response, with over twenty people coming along. 

Our visit to Norwich Castle Museum was really enjoyable. We split into two groups: one 'led' by me, the other, by my former museum colleague, and friend, Dave Tong. Knowing all too well that the two of us have voices like foghorns, we started on different levels in the keep and gave very different tours. I can't speak about the content in Dave's sessions, but, obviously, I'm pretty well placed to share a bit of my one. 

One of the things I covered were accounts of prisoners alleged crimes in the early 1300s. Using, as my main source, Barbara Hanawalt's 'Crime in Medieval East Anglia' (Norfolk Record Society, 1976), I shared some of the material from the Norfolk Gaol Delivery Rolls from this period. For instance, Gervaise de Swanton and his wife, Joan, were asleep in bed when a gang of burglars broke into their room. One of them - William of Mileham - was wielding a 'hatchet' (an axe). He went to strike Gervaise as he lay in bed. However, Gervaise must have somehow deflected the blow, for the record described how the hatchet got stuck in the (presumably, wooden) head of the bed. In the meantime, Joan, leapt out of bed and, knife in hand, stabbed William of Mileham in the head. He died instantly. She was subsequently arrested and taken to Norwich Castle Gaol to await trial. I asked the group what they thought the outcome of the trial was, and then shared the outcome with them. That's just one of several cases we examined.

At the end, Dave - being a professional story teller - kindly agreed to share a story with us about an old and wily man who gave some powerful officials in a (fictional) castle good reason to consider carefully what they wish for. He received well deserved applause for his tale. Afterwards, Club members I spoke with said how much they had enjoyed the experience. 

We would like to thank the Norfolk Museums & Archaeological Service (particularly, Colly Mudie from the Education department) for facilitating our visit and for making us feel so welcome. Thank you NMAS for enabling access to our group!

Here is some of the feedback members gave in our comments book as we enjoyed a cuppa afterwards:

"Really enjoyed it! Very interesting and nice for me to keep learning more knowledge"
"Always learning new things and meeting new people"
"Fascinating! Very enjoyable and a I learnt a lot."
"Informative, exciting, different day. Good storytelling from Dave 'Ding Dong' Tong."

Ding Dong Tong! I haven't heard that one before, but his name seems to ring a bell. If anyone else who attended wants to leave any further feedback please feel free to do so - either, via the comments section below (all comments are moderated) or via my email: colin.howey@norfolk.gov.uk)

Thanks!
Colin

Norwich Castle Museum Visit - Tuesday 15th January.

Please click on image in order to enlarge

Next Tuesday, the Norwich Community History Club will be visiting Norwich Castle Museum. If you wish to attend you have two options. Either:

1. Meet, as usual, in Marzanos cafe in the Norwich Forum at 10:30 (we have tables booked, to the right of the cafe counter). We will then walk up to the castle, departing c10:50-10:55am
2. Meet near the Castle Museum entrance at c11:10 and wait for the other club members to arrive

Once inside, we will split into two groups. Historian and professional storyteller, Dave Tong, has very kindly agreed to assist me by leading a group around the castle keep. I will lead the other exploration of the keep, looking at the 'hidden' history of this fascinating building (including medieval graffiti and a selection of medieval prisoners' cases). 

If you are interested in joining us, please do come along. 

Best Wishes,

Colin

A Wycliffite Bible

At our last meeting, as well as discussing Reginald Dack Baker's scrapbooks, we also had a good look at the wonderful hand-written and illuminated bible that once belonged to Anne Boleyn's uncle (dated, early 1400s). I think that Club members felt a sense of privilege to be so close-up to such a rare and ancient survivor. I explained a bit about the background to this, the first English translation of the bible, and some of the consequences this had for the wider late medieval/Early Modern Society.

As a Club, we are certainly very fortunate to have access to such amazing historical material, due to our partnership with the Norfolk Museum & Information Service. In addition to viewing this, Community Librarian, Clare Agate, also took members to view some of the Norfolk Heritage Collection that is held at the Millennium Library.

Overall, once again, the feedback was really positive:

"Very interesting - wonderful to look at the archives and the bible."
"Getting more interesting week by week."

Our First Meeting of 2013...

Our first meeting of the New Year will take place on Tuesday 8th January, meeting at 10:30am in Marzano's cafe, located on the ground floor of the Forum (we gather at the reserved tables to the right of the serving counter). Once we have socialised etc we will be going up to the library's 'Training Room' to have a further look at the wonderful Norfolk Heritage Collection (their Wycliffite bible, that once belonged to Queen Anne Boleyn's uncle, is just one 'jewel' in this amazing archive). 

Please do join us!

PS Please note: Dave Tong would like to apologise to NCHC members for not being able to come and tell us some stories at our last gathering before Christmas. Unfortunately, a close family member was taken ill on the day and he left his house without his mobile. I am glad to report that his relative is currently in a stable condition. 

Next Club Meeting - 'Walls Speak: Discovering Norfolk's Medieval Graffiti'

Come along and find out why we call this
'Andrew's Horse'

For those of you who have attended the Norwich Community History Club thus far, it will come as no surprise to learn that next Tuesday's sessions will be about one of my passions: medieval 'graffiti' (take note of the inverted commas - they're there for a reason). I'm heavily involved with the community archaeology project, The Norfolk Medieval Graffiti Survey, and in this presentation I will share with you some of the projects discoveries. 

When & Where...
Tuesday 4th December 
10:30 informal gathering in Marzanos Cafe (in Norwich Forum, ground floor, near piano)
11:00-12:00 presentation, 'Walls Speak: Discovering Norfolk's Medieval Graffiti'. 

Speaker: Colin Howey (Deputy Director of the Norfolk Medieval Graffiti Survey)

STOP PRESS!
Future speakers who have agreed to come and speak to our Club so far (specifics to be arranged):

• Sophie Cabot, archaeologist and Engagement Manager at HEART (HEritage  And Regeneration Trust)
• Professor Carole Rawcliffe, professor of medieval history at UEA
• Brian Ayers, former Norfolk county archaeologist

We are really grateful for the amazing support and contributions being given to our venture thus far - thanks!

Week2: Maps, Chats, Muddles & Puddles

Dr. Carole Hill, talking to Club members about
Francis Blomefield's county history

Another great turnout for this, the second meeting of our new history club. I want to thank every one who made the effort to join us on what was a wet and windy day. 

From now on we will always meet for the first half an hour or so in Marzanos cafe, in the Norwich Forum. We sat around our respective tables and folk seemed to be chatting away nicely. Not wanting to over-direct things, I left people to just catch up and socialise (meeting and mixing is an important part of this Club). I also took the opportunity to invite people to leave feedback about last weeks presentation by historian and storyteller, Dave Tong. Here are a couple of excerpts from that exercise:

"Dave was rubbish..." Only kidding! Here's the real feedback:

"Dave was brilliant - more than living up to his storyteller reputation. Knowledgable and very interesting."

"Excellent, really enjoyed it. Interesting and funny."

I think we should get Mr. Tong back at some point - in fact, I'm meeting with him tomorrow and will attempt to bribe him to return with the irresistible offer of baked beans on toast at the All Saints Cafe (no expense spared at this Club!). 

Back to today: having supped and socialised, we went up to the library's meeting room, where the Community Librarian, Clare Agate, awaited. As she took small groups into the strong room to view a little of the amazing Norfolk Heritage Collection (see video in previous post), those remaining looked at a large copy of the first map of Norwich (Cuningham's 1558 map); the two Norwich volumes of Francis Blomefield's 'History of Norfolk..." (1805) and a late nineteenth century copy of the Eastern Daily Press (reporting floods in the city). 

Clare had expected me to talk authoritatively about the Cuningham map; however, I started by muddling Chapelfield with Cowholme, whereupon Sophie (from HEART), quite rightfully sensing my 'upside-down-ness' (ie my ineptitude!), stepped in and talked us through some of the salient features, answering questions from the group (I meekly shut up - it's a strength to be aware of one's limitations... that's what I tell myself, anyway).  

Dr. Carole Hill then very kindly talked about the uses and limitations of Blomefield's seminal 'History', from the perspective of the historian. Although it is important to be aware of Blomefield's biases, errors and omissions, he had access to a lot of records that no longer exist - and that makes his work a very useful resource indeed. Although the 'Essay towards a Topographical History of the County of Norfolk' (draws breath... gasp!), is now available online (see HERE), you can't beat connecting with the real books, in all their musty authenticity. 

Finally, we looked at some contemporary coverage of the 'great flood' in Norwich, as recorded in the EDP of November 1878. This event happened before the more famous flood of 1912, after which the river Wensum was widened in order to help prevent further inundations. Hundreds of people were made homeless as a result of the rising waters. This is well out of living memory now, but reading the account in the paper made it feel vividly real. 

~ Colin Howey ~