Planned Events

October 21st 2011: Chesham Workhouses and the Chesham Riot. Colin Oakes
In the 1830s, the cost of aid to the poor increased considerably. The Government introduced new measures that included putting the poor in workhouses. This proved very unpopular. In some places, tempers flared and riots ensued, not least in Chesham!

November 18th 2011: Medieval Wall Paintings in Buckinghamshire. Nicola Lowe
Considerable numbers of medieval wall paintings have survived in the vicinity of Chesham and the Chess Valley. Nicola Lowe will give us a lively and well-illustrated talk on these paintings, their preservation and their history.

January 20th 2012: Dining with the Lord of the Manor of Chesham in the Fourteenth Century. Garry and Anne Marshall
A fifteenth century charter found among Chesham¹s manorial records proved to be written on the back of a much earlier fragment of the kitchen accounts of Chesham¹s Lord of the Manor, the Earl of Oxford. This talk will recreate the splendour with which the Earl¹s entertained and fed his guests. There will be a chance to sample a medieval dish after the talk.

February 17th 2012: A review of recent archaeological work in Milton Keynes Borough. Nick Crank
Nick Crank is Senior Archaeological Officer for Milton Keynes. He will give us an account of what is happening in this archaeologically important part of the county.

March 16th 2012: Open Evening.
As usual, members of the Society¹s Archaeological and Historical groups will give talks on the work they have done during the year.

April 20th 2012: AGM and President¹s talk.
We shall have a new president in 2012, and this will be the occasion of his inaugural talk.

Archaeology Field Group Programme 2012

The 2012 programme is not yet firmed up. However, we are likely to be investigating an Iron Age fort during the first half of the year, subject to the usual permissions being granted.

Field Group members will be notified by email when exact dates are known. New members interested in joining in should tick the Field Group box when completing the application form to join the Society (see Membership).

We welcome people with experience and also novices - training in survey, excavation and recording is given. For those who find digging difficult, there is work to do on post-excavation analysis and recording of finds.