Welcome to the blog of the High Country History Group covering the parishes of Greensted, Stanford Rivers, Stapleford Tawney and Theydon Mount in Essex, England. We meet most fourth Thursdays in the month at Toot Hill Village Hall from 8.00pm.
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)
Tuesday, 5 January 2016
ESAH160: Theft of Coins from Chelmsford Museum: Urgent
ESAH160: Theft of Coins from Chelmsford Museum: Urgent: I regret to advise you that the Chelmsford Museum have suffered a theft in the course of which 14 of a display of 16 late Roman coins were...
Saturday, 2 January 2016
Journal No. 58 (December 2015)
Members of the High Country History Group receive a quarterly journal. In this edition are the following items:
- Ogborne's History of Theydon Bois and Theydon Mount
- White Bear Public House, Stanford Rivers
- Essex Excavations: The Fenwick Treasure found at Williams and Griffin, High Street Colchester, and the mansion at Marks Hall
- 16th Century Greensted Wills
- Craven Ord, FRS, FSA, of Greenstead Hall, Antiquary and Brass Rubber
- News In Brief
- National Library of Scotland maps
- Essex Witch Trials
- Programme for 2016.
- Ogborne's History of Theydon Bois and Theydon Mount
- White Bear Public House, Stanford Rivers
- Essex Excavations: The Fenwick Treasure found at Williams and Griffin, High Street Colchester, and the mansion at Marks Hall
- 16th Century Greensted Wills
- Craven Ord, FRS, FSA, of Greenstead Hall, Antiquary and Brass Rubber
- News In Brief
- National Library of Scotland maps
- Essex Witch Trials
- Programme for 2016.
Friday, 20 November 2015
Next Meeting. 26 November 2015, 'The 1980s - A Decade of Disasters on Land, Sea and Air'
The final meeting of the High Country History Group for the year will be on Thursday 26 November, 8pm, Toot Hill Village Hall. Our speaker will be one of our members, Patrick Griggs. "In the late 1980's the UK experienced spate of air crashes, train derailments, fires on the Underground
and also ship collisions which lead to much loss of life but also gave rise to
many changes to safety regulations. As a specialist in marine and aviation law
Patrick was involved in the legal aspects of many of these case and will give
us a glimpse of what happened behind the scenes after these cases ceased to be
headline news."
We will also have a huge history bookstall so that you can stock up on Christmas reading.
The evening will round off with wine and mince pies. All welcome. Visitors £3, Members £2.
Friday, 30 October 2015
Journal No. 57 (September 2015)
There is certainly a variety of interesting items in the latest edition of The Journal, sent to members of the High Country History Group recently. These include:
- John Carey map of North Weald, c.1790
- Leverton Charities, Waltham Abbey
- Ongar and District Cottage Hospital, 1928-1939
- A Guide to St Martin's Church, Ongar
- More about the Petres of Stanford Rivers
- First World War Trunk returns to North Weald Station
- Private Victor Albert Burton
- Never Mind The Dovecotes
- Epping Workhouse and the case of Mary Ann Reid
- From the Greensted Registers
- WWII: If the Invader Comes
- Mother and Son: Elizabeth Blount and Henry Fitzroy, born Blackmore
- From the Papers
- John Carey map of North Weald, c.1790
- Leverton Charities, Waltham Abbey
- Ongar and District Cottage Hospital, 1928-1939
- A Guide to St Martin's Church, Ongar
- More about the Petres of Stanford Rivers
- First World War Trunk returns to North Weald Station
- Private Victor Albert Burton
- Never Mind The Dovecotes
- Epping Workhouse and the case of Mary Ann Reid
- From the Greensted Registers
- WWII: If the Invader Comes
- Mother and Son: Elizabeth Blount and Henry Fitzroy, born Blackmore
- From the Papers
Thursday, 15 October 2015
'Anglo Saxon Life' of theme of next talk - 22 October 2015
Just a quick note to remind you that our autumn season
begins next Thursday, 22 October, with a talk by Peter Jennings on ‘Anglo Saxon
Life’. Members £1, Visitors £3 including tea / coffee as usual.
We will also have a book sale.
Sunday, 30 August 2015
Essex Industrial Heritage Fair. Braintree Museum. Saturday 10 October 2015
ESAH160: Essex Industrial Heritage Fair. Braintree Museum. ...: Final details of this special event are now available. This promises to be an interesting day. Follow this link
Saturday, 22 August 2015
Monday, 3 August 2015
Journal No. 56 (June 2015)
The quarterly Journal of the High Country History Group was issued recently to members. Contents this time:
- Ongar's First War Memorial
- Stanford Rivers Vestry Minutes - 2nd October 1817
- Christmas in the Trenches
- Royal Visit to Greensted Church
- Rector in Court Scene
- Theydon Mount Constable
- Insolvent Debtor
- The Petre's of Stanford Rivers
- Leverton Charities, Waltham Abbey. A manuscript volume in private hands
- Theydon Mount Wills: Family Connections using Wills preserved during the reign of James I (1603-1625)
- The 1831 Census for Stapleford Tawney
- Vestry Order Book for Stapleford Tawney (commenced 1824)
Monday, 13 July 2015
'The History of the Hoffmann Company, Chelmsford: 1898-1989' - 23 July 2015
The High Country History Group will be welcoming as our speaker Stephen Norris, author of the definitive history of Chelmsford from 1888 to 2012. The subject will be about one of the world's leading ball bearing manufacturers that shaped the town during the twentieth century: Hoffmans.
Everyone welcome at Toot Hill Village Hall, Toot Hill Road, Ongar. CM5 9LR. Thursday 23 July. 8pm. Members: £1, Visitors, £3.
Thursday, 18 June 2015
'Canons, Cloisters and Castles' - 25 June 2015
The High Country History Group meet on Thursday 25 June at 8.00pm at Toot Hill Village Hall.
The guest speaker is Tony O'Connor from the Epping
Forest Museum. His local history talk is called ‘Canons, Cloisters and Castles’
Details of his talk:
The Epping Forest District
includes a wealth of monuments from the medieval period, from our market towns,
through historic parish churches and the castle at Ongar, to the great abbey of
Waltham Holy Cross. This talk explores this rich legacy and the story of the
people who created it.
Everyone welcome. Members: £1. Non members: £3. Including refreshments
Tuesday, 26 May 2015
Next Meeting, 28 May 2015
We are in an unusual situation where the last Monday in May
– Bank Holiday Monday – is before the fourth Thursday in May. Our meeting
will be on Thursday 28 May, 8pm, Toot Hill Village Hall, when Nick Dobson, who
gave a talk ‘Christmas in The Trenches’ last year, makes a welcome
return. His topic this time will be ‘An Underground Guide to Literary
London’.
We also have some books for sale this time for you to peruse
over tea and biscuits.
Saturday, 9 May 2015
Journal No. 55 (March 2015)
The High Country History Group (established 1999) produces a quarterly Journal for its members. The latest edition contains the following items:
- Law and Order
- Benefactors to the Poor of Stapleford Tawney
- Fire at the Blue Boar, Abridge
- Theydon Mount Wills during the reign of King James I (1603 - 1625)
- Essex Quarter Sessions Order Book (1652 - 1661)
- What the Papers Say (1945 - 1955)
- Memories of Theydon Mount
- Tragedy at Theydon Bois 1940
- The Essex Great War Archive Project
- Notable Anniversaries in 2015
ESAH160: Essex Record Office Wills Online
ESAH160: Essex Record Office Wills Online: The Essex Record Office has announced that ‘Essex Ancestors’ their online subscription service which allows users to view digital images o...
Thursday, 16 April 2015
Friends of Essex Churches Trust: Spring Study Day. Wednesday 6 May 2015.
ESAH160: Friends of Essex Churches Trust: Spring Study Day,...: FRIENDS OF ESSEX CHURCHES TRUST SPRING STUDY DAY Wednesday 6th May 2015 Our Spring Study Day will be led by Dr Christopher Starr. The day includes a visit to Stapleford Tawney and Stanford Rivers churches.
Saturday, 11 April 2015
ESAH160: The Society's Archives: Parish Registers
ESAH160: The Society's Archives: Parish Registers: Online historical research is an almost expected feature of our digital age. In recent years the Essex Record Office, in its role as Di...
Saturday, 21 March 2015
High Country History Group Annual General Meeting, Thursday 26 March 2015

THE
HIGH COUNTRY HISTORY GROUP
GREENSTED,
STANFORD RIVERS, STAPLEFORD TAWNEY & THEYDON MOUNT
ANNUAL GENERAL
MEETING
to be held Thursday
26 March 2015, 8pm,
at Toot Hill
Village Hall
As a member of the Group, you are invited
to the 15th AGM, followed by films introduced by David Welford. As usual the formal business of the meeting
will be conducted speedily. The evening will conclude with cheese and
wine. Members: £2. Guests welcome: £3. Please bring these papers with you.
Agenda
- Welcome
and apologies for absence
- Minutes
of previous AGM – will be read
- Matters
arising
- Reports
- Chairman’s
report
- Secretary’s
report
- Treasurer’s
report: Separate attachment. It is recommended that the membership fee increases
to £10 (2014: £7) individual, £15 (2014: £10) for family membership. (Please
complete the enclosed form.) This
will be the first increase since 2012 and will fund our increased number
of meetings and offset increased postage costs.
- Presentation
of the draft accounts (enclosed)
- To elect the
Committee: nominations for all
posts on the committee are invited.
- Any
Other Business. This should be
communicated to the Secretary before the meeting.
- Date of next Annual General Meeting: 31 March 2016.
Saturday, 7 March 2015
'The Wonderful World of Disney: Collecting Classical Antiquity': a Lecture at Ingatestone, 20 March 2015
The
Essex Society for Archaeology & History
Presents
The Morant Lecture 2015
The subject of this year’s lecture is
The Wonderful World of Disney
John Disney (1779-1857) was a
Barrister and Archaeologist and son of Rector John Disney. John Disney
inherited his father’s antiquities, upon his death and continued to add to the
collection. In 1850 Disney donated most of the sculptures to the Fitzwilliam
Museum in Cambridge. John Disney established the Chair of Archaeology. The Disney family lived at the Hyde in
Ingatestone and their monument is in Fryerning churchyard.
Presented by
Professor David Gill
Professor David Gill is a Professor
of Archaeological Heritage and Director of Heritage Futures at the University
Campus Suffolk.
On Friday 20th March 2015 at 7.30 pm
Venue: St Edmund & St Mary’s
Church, Ingatestone
Members £5.00 in advance, Non-members and on the door £6.00. Booking
required For refreshments PLEASE contact Dr Graham Gould on 02085561423, email drgegould@aol.com
Tuesday, 17 February 2015
Roman Essex
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| Part of Roman Mosaic from North Hill, Colchester, at the Castle Museum in the town |
'Roman Essex' is the theme of our next talk to be given by our Chairman Martyn Lockwood. We meet on Thursday 26 February at 8.00pm at Toot Hill Village Hall. Members can also pick up their copy of the next edition of The Journal. Everyone welcome: £1 at the door (non members: £3).
Friday, 13 February 2015
British Newspapers Online
10 million pages now searchable at The British
Newspaper Archive
The British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk)
hit a major digitisation milestone this month: it’s added its 10 millionth
historic newspaper page.
The website launched with 4 million pages in November 2011,
so you’ll now find 150% more to explore. If you’ve not used the collection for
a while, it’s definitely time to come back and take another look.
Much more to search and a great-value subscription
It’s not just The British Newspaper Archive’s coverage that
has improved in the last few years. Back in 2011, a 30 day package was £29.95.
Today, a 1 month subscription is just £9.95.
A subscription will give you access to the whole collection
of historic newspapers and you can keep the pages you view forever by saving
them to your computer or printing them out.
View the full list of subscription options at www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/payments
Thousands of pages are digitised every week and some
fantastic content has been added in the last few months. Here are just some of
the highlights:
1)
The Daily Mirror and Sunday Mirror
Copies of the Daily Mirror and Sunday
Mirror from 1914-1918 are now available to search online. These national
newspapers provide fascinating daily news, photographs and illustrations from
World War One.
2)
58 new Irish newspapers
The collection of newspapers from Northern
Ireland and the Republic of Ireland has grown substantially in the last few months.
At launch, seven newspaper titles were available, but you can now search a
total of 65.
3)
Newspapers from World War Two
More than 350,000 pages from 1939-1945 are
currently available to search at The British Newspaper Archive. 60 newspaper
titles are already online, including the Aberdeen Weekly Journal, Lancashire
Evening Post and Kent & Sussex Courier.
You’ll find more information at http://blog.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/2015/02/11/10-million-newspaper-pages-are-now-fully-searchable/
ENDS
Saturday, 31 January 2015
Palaeography Lecture
ESAH160: Next Event: Palaeography Lecture: The Essex Society for Archaeology and History's next event will be on Saturday 7 February at Chelmsford Museum. Click for details ...
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