Programme

Our 2023 programme: 23 Feb: '1926' - our speaker is our Chairman, Martyn Lockwood. 23 Mar: Annual General Meeting. 27 Apr: 'John Ray' - Jennifer Rowland. 25 May: Napoleonic Invasion Plans - Neil Wiffen. 22 Jun: 'Jersey under the Jackboot: the occupation of Jersey during WW2' - Patrick Griggs. 27 Jul: 'The Life and Times of William Byrd (c1540-1623): A Local History' - Andrew Smith. 26 Oct: 'The Prison at Hill Hall' - Anne Padfield. 23 Nov: Pre-Christmas meeting. Talk to be confirmed. Admission: Members £1, Non-members £5 Annual Membership: £15 (Family: £30)

Thursday 30 October 2014

Essex Record Office announces digitisation of Wills pre-1720

Wills to 1720 Online at Essex Ancestors

The Essex Record Office has announced a major update of Wills digitised and available online through Essex Ancestors, its subscription site.  A further 22,500 wills have just been added to the 20,000 previously available to create a complete collection of those archived up to 1720.  Work is in progress to complete the run of Wills up to 1858, thus creating a database of 70,000 records.  For more information follow this link http://www.essexrecordofficeblog.co.uk/where-theres-a-will-major-update-to-essex-ancestors/ and to subscribe go to Essex Ancestors http://seax.essexcc.gov.uk/EssexAncestors.aspx .

Earlier this year I worked on transcriptions of Wills for Theydon Mount during the reign of King James I (1603-25).  Seeing the original documents at the ERO brings a sense of excitement in a way that sitting in the comfort of your home logged onto your laptop does not.  Digitisation widens accessibility to these archives which undeniably will be of enormous benefit to local, social and family historians alike.

Wednesday 1 October 2014

Journal No. 53 (September 2014)

Our quarterly Journal to members has been posted out and naturally has a Great War theme. Items this time include:
- Essex Place Names. A review of the recent talk.
- The Great Fire, Stanford Hall, 22 September 1907
- Cowman to Major: the story of Major James William Joseph Millar, D.S.O., D.C.M.
- James Ford, a Forgotten Essex Antiquity (1779-1850)
- World War One Films: David Welford, our treasurer and film addict, reviews the history of films factual and otherwise relating to the Great War.
- Paganism, early Christianity and Beauchamp Roding church
- Ongar Radio Station: North Weald (Part 1)