Programme for 2010
Download this programme as a printable PDF file
Meetings are held on the third Wednesday of the month, either in the Community Club, Court Street or at The Union, Ford Street, starting at 7.30 pm. See programme for details.
Refreshments are available before the meeting from 7.00 pm.
20th January
Chairman's Address: Dr Ian Mortimer
Rewriting History
17th February
Protecting Dartmoor's Past
Jane Marchand is a member of Dartmoor National Park's Archaeology team and will be remembered for her presentation last year on Dartmoor Leats.
This evening's talk explores the care that is needed to protect the moor and preserve its integrity, and the measures that DNPA takes to combat theft, vandalism, ignorance and overuse.
This meeting will be held in the Community Club
17th March
Exeter Cathedral: a Portrait in Decorated Gothic
Mark Cottle is an experienced lecturer in Anglo-Saxon, Medieval and Tudor history. This talk looks at the medieval architecture and construction of Exeter Cathedral.
Exeter Cathedral may claim to be one of the finest examples of Decorated Gothic cathedral architecture in Europe, and has been handed down to us relatively unscathed by conflict and time.
This meeting will be held at The Union
21st April
George Eliot and History
Brian Spittles, now a resident of Moreton, was Head of Humanities at Ruskin College, Oxford. He was responsible for courses in Literature, History and Film Studies, with five books published on these subjects.
George Eliot's work is now best known for the television and cinema adaptations of her novels, notably Middlemarch, Daniel Deronda and The Mill on the Floss. But her life's work, and the controversial nature of her life, encompass far wider interests – social history in particular.
This meeting will be held in the Community Club
Moretonhampstead Station: date unknown
The line was opened in 1866: 'an important step in the material, moral and social improvement and advancement of the old town of Moreton'.
Devon Weekly Times 29th June, 1866
19th May
The Vikings in Devon
Derek Gore is a Teaching Fellow in the Archaeology Department of Exeter University, and has published works on the Romans and the Vikings in Devon.
His talk last year on the Romans brought this period in Devon's history alive, and was extremely well received. We are pleased to have him back to tell us more about the Vikings.
This meeting will be held at The Union.
16th June
Afternoon Site Visit
Ugbrooke House
Ugbrooke House, near Chudleigh, is the home of Lord and Lady Clifford, and was remodelled in the eighteenth century by Robert Adam. The park is a good example of the work of Capability Brown and contains many fine mature trees.
We have arranged a group tour of Ugbrooke House and St Cyprian's Chapel, starting at 2.00 pm. The tour will be followed by a cream tea in the Orangery, and there will be time afterwards to visit the gardens and walk the grounds.
Further details nearer the time.
July
Afternoon Site Visit
Kelly Mine
on the A382 outside Lustleigh
Kelly Mine produced Micaceous Haematite, used in the production of anti-corrosion paints, until 1951. The Kelly Mine Preservation Society was formed in 1984 to restore and preserve this important industrial monument.
We shall arrange a tour of the mine for interested members during July. Further details nearer the time.
August
No Meeting
15th September
Devon Water Mills
Martin Watts is a traditional millwright and corn milling specialist from Cullompton. He has carried out extensive research on historic water mills and their associated buildings and locations, and has many interesting photographs of the county's old mills.
20th October
Annual General Meeting
followed by a Social Evening
17th November
Moreton at War
Appropriately for this month of November, Bill Hardiman will give an illustrated talk which considers how times of war have affected Moretonhampstead and Moretonians, from the arrival of Napoleonic parole prisoners to the GIs of the Second World War.
Bill was a History teacher for many years, and is an enthusiastic tutor and researcher of local and family history.
15th December
Christmas Dinner
Further details nearer the time.
President
Professor Ian Mercer
Chairman
Dr Ian Mortimer
Treasurer and Membership Secretary
Jeanette Webster
Secretary and Programme Secretary
Wendy Coombes
Newsletter Editor
Christopher Pilkington
Committee
Bill Hardiman, Edward Pike, Liz Prince
Annual Subscriptions
Single £10
Joint or Family £15
Visitors £2 per meeting