The Lincolnshire Society for Encouragement of Ecclesiastical Architecture - the earliest forerunner of SLHA in a direct line of 'ancestry' - held its first annual meeting on 21 November 1844 in Louth.

On 21 November 2019, the 175th anniversary of this auspicious occasion, SLHA Trustees and Executive Committee members met with guests representing local councils and heritage organisations to mark the occasion.

Pearl Wheatley, MBE, SLHA Vice-President and former Chairman, gave a succinct and lively account of the Society's history.

A series of boards displaying the Society's activities and achievements, prepared by Kathy Holland, SLHA Secretary, lined the meeting room (see right). Documents illustrating the work of SLHA were also laid out for inspection.

The speaker at SLHA's monthly meeting in St Hugh's Hall, Lincoln on Wednesday 20 November was Kate Carmichael, Architectural Investigator from Historic England. She is a key player in the forthcoming 5-year Heritage Action Zone project planned for Grimsby.

The town has a large number of redundant industrial and commercial buildings, especially in the Kasbah area around the Fish Dock. Many of the buildings are of considerable interest and architectural merit.

The study of the area and subsequent publications should provide a clear and meaningful basis for future development plans.

Photograph: The Ice Factory and Dock Tower (DB)

Lincoln buildings of merit but with no statutory listing are being added to a Local List compiled by representatives of SLHA, Lincoln City Council and the Survey of Lincoln. This takes forward the List published in 1995.

At the Sunday Special meeting in Lincoln on 10 November Richard Croft explained the process and outlined the criteria being applied to candidates for listing. This will confer a measure of protection when development projects are being considered.

Buildings are being photographed and architectural features noted; in some cases a recommendation for statutory listing may be made. More volunteers are needed to complete this task.

John Manterfield told the fascinating stories of three successive occupants of North House, in Grantham's North Parade, at the Sunday Special in Jews' Court on 10 November. Each owner, in his time, was prominent in the town's social life.

Alfred Cross, wealthy son of a Lancashire mill owner, came to Grantham in the late 1870s and spent much of his time with the Belvoir Hunt. He lived in North House until his untimely death at the age of 37 in Monte Carlo in 1886.

Edgar Lubbock (1847-1907), son of a wealthy banker and barrister, bought the house for £2500 in 1889. In his youth he was an exceptionally gifted soccer player and cricketer and later in life he became master of Blankney Hunt.  He built Caythorpe Court, a fine country mansion, in 1899.

After Lubbock moved out to Caythorpe, North House was bought by Captain Reginald Wyndham, son of Lord Leconfield. He also rode with the Belvoir Hunt but was killed at the age of 38 in the First Battle of Ypres in the First World War. His widow donated £1000 towards a new recreational space in Grantham which was to serve as a war memorial; it was named Wyndham Park in his honour.

Ironstone was mined in the Lincolnshire Wolds at Claxby from 1868 to 1885. In a half-hour talk as part of the Sunday Special at Jews' Court on 10 November, Stewart Squires (whose book on the subject was published by SLHA in 2017) spoke about a recent detailed examination of the site.

The spoil heaps, calcining kilns, track beds and other mining features can still be traced on the grassy hillside; the only twentieth-century disturbance to the site came as a result of WW2 battlefield training with shells and other ordnance.

Metal detectorists, working with Stewart, have located and excavated a large number of iron and steel objects, mostly parts from the railway and tramway serving the mine, but also miners' tools and spent ammunition from WW2.

Photo: Edge of loading platform

The annual SLHA Archaeology Day was held at the Riverside Church Centre in Sleaford on Saturday 2 November, attended by a keen audience of more than 80. The conference covered a wide range of topics, mainly to do with recent archaeological work in Lincolnshire.

Adam Daubney, until recently the LCC Finds Officer, was the first speaker. He gave details of a dig close to a Roman barrow in Riseholme which has yielded an impressive range of Iron Age and Roman material, both pottery and coins. The excavation, led by Network Archaeology, involved a large group of RAF personnel and their families as part of the Nightingale Project which assists servicemen who have withdrawn from active duty on health grounds. An RAF officer and his wife spoke warmly of the benefits they and their family had derived from the project.

Coastal salt making in Lincolnshire was the title of Tom Lane's presentation - and also the theme of his recently published book. Making salt was a key industry from the Iron Age onwards and many sites were developed near the coast in Lincolnshire. The largest concentrations were grouped along the former seashore south west of Boston (Bicker area) and near the modern coastline north of Skegness. Field markings give evidence of the industry in the first area while the archaeology is buried well below surface level in the second. Site investigations reveal changes in the technology of salt making over the centuries.

The keynote address for the conference was given by Professor Colin Haselgrove of Leicester University. He focused on the late Iron Age period, describing the features of settlements at Old Sleaford, Stanwick (North Yorkshire) and Scotch Corner (N Yorks).  The nature and distribution of the coinage found on these sites and the associated coin or pellet moulds have led Professor Haselgrove to question whether the community in Old Sleaford was more closely linked to the Brigantes of Yorkshire rather than the Corieltavi, as commonly supposed.

"Trade, wealth and worship at Little Carlton" was the title of Duncan Wright's presentation. The excavation he had led on a small site in the Middle Marsh of east Lincolnshire unearthed many coins of the Middle Saxon period, suggesting it had been an active trading centre. The discovery of hand bells, styli and other 'special' items led to the conclusion that this was an 'elite' site which had close involvement with a larger literate and religious community, possibly the nunnery at nearby Legbourne.

Professor Carenza Lewis gave a wide ranging talk on the Black Death. Originating in the steppes of eastern Europe in the fourteenth century, conveyed by fleas initially carried by marmots, the bubonic plague travelled quickly along trade routes throughout Europe. Recent estimates suggest that 60% of Europe's population was wiped out. The scale of the disaster is reflected not only in the wholesale desertion of medieval villages but also in the significant drop in pottery finds, for example in East Anglian settlements, dating from this period.

The site of a significant Roman villa in Winterton has been known since the nineteenth century. A project led by Natasha Powers of Allen Archaeology, the next speaker, has excavated the adjacent area and uncovered items of late Roman jewellery. Of particular significance is the large Roman cemetery of 100 graves, the contents of which have still to be fully examined and analysed.

The final contribution was from Paul Cope-Faulkner of Architectural Project Services, Heckington. He is involved in a long running project at the sand quarrying sites in Tattershall and Tumby, both in the lower Bain valley. So far there is no evidence of a settlement in the area but there have been numerous finds from Neolithic to Roman periods which indicate that there was a transient local population from time to time.

At a meeting in the Blue Room, The Lawn, Lincoln on Sunday 20 October former friends and colleagues of Tom Baker (1911-1998) recalled the large contribution he made to many aspects of heritage and cultural life in Lincoln and the County.  He was Director of Libraries and Museums in Lincoln, Chairman of Lincoln Civic Trust and was an influential figure in many local organisations, including SLHA.

Catherine Wilson, who worked with Tom Baker in Lincoln at the City and County Museum in the 1960s, chaired the meeting and spoke about the inspiration she received from his leadership and professional example.

Phyllis Baker, FTB's daughter-in-law, shed light on his upbringing and family life; he was a life-long Baptist and prominent member of the Lincoln Rotary Club.

Mick Jones, former Lincoln City Archaeologist, reminded us that Tom Baker, as curator of the City and County Museum from the 1930s, worked alongside eminent archaeologists - Ian Richmond, Graham Webster, Norman Booth, Hugh Thompson, Dennis Petch and Ben Whitwell among others - in discovering and understanding Lincoln's Roman history.

Nick Moore, who took the role of Keeper of the City and County Museum in succession to FTB, described the style and scope of the museum in the early 1970s he inherited and referred to Tom's outstanding MA thesis on the prehistoric settlement of Lincolnshire, used as a reference source by museum staff and now held at Bishop Grosseteste University.

Mark Seward, Emeritus Professor at Bradford University, highlighted Tom's work on Lincolnshire wildlife; he was influential in the foundation of the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust and served for a long period as Secretary of the Lincolnshire Naturalists' Union.

Documents and photographs recalling the life of Brenda Webster were displayed in the meeting room at Jews' Court on Friday 18 October.

The collection highlighted key events in her life and reminded friends and former colleagues of her considerable talents and the substantial contribution she made to community life in Heighington and organisations such as SLHA.

Sadie Hirst is an experienced cookery writer and avid collector of recipe books and kitchen items. She laid out a large and impressive display from her collection when she spoke to SLHA members at St Hugh's Hall on 16 October.

Sadie showed the audience a range of cookbooks from the 17th century onwards - some extremely rare and valuable - and pointed out how these early publications offer an insight into social and political history as well as culinary tastes and practices.

Photo: Sadie's display of butter moulds and other kitchen items

Arthur Storer (1645-1687) was an astronomer and mathematician, relatively unknown in the UK, but revered to this day in the US state of Maryland.

Ruth Crook traced his life in a talk to SLHA members on the afternoon of the AGM in Grantham. A blue plaque on the original King's School building in Grantham (see right) commemorates his time at the school and his achievements as an adult.

He was two years younger than Isaac Newton his fellow pupil but came to know him well. They remained in contact through their closely allied interests and it is apparent than Newton had a high regard for Storer's work - which included recognising what became known as Halley's comet (originally known as Storer's Comet).

Storer was born in Buckminster (just over the county boundary in Leicestershire) but with the early death of his father (Storer's mother was his second wife) and the subsequent remarrying (twice) of his mother, his relationships among the many offspring were complex. Arthur's mother, with whom he stayed in close contact, eventually settled in Maryland and it was here that some of Storer's significant work was done, and where he died.

Following the AGM in the Guildhall Arts Centre, SLHA members were taken on a short tour of the town by John Manterfield. The route included stops in Elmer Street, Castlegate, Finkin Street, Watergate and Swinegate.

The tour ended at the splendid St Wulfram's Church with the bonus of a visit to the chained library of early books collected by Elizabethan clergyman, Francis Trigge.

The SLHA Awards for 2019 were announced and presented by the Society President Dr Rod Ambler at the Annual General Meeting of the Society at the Guildhall Arts Centre, Grantham on 12 October.

The Flora Murray Award was given to the Wold Newton History Website, edited by David Buckle. The website makes readily accessible an extensive collection of documents and images dealing with all aspects of the village's past.

An Award of Excellence was received by Linda Sproston on behalf of St Andrew's Church, Utterby for the Utterby Heritage Collection. Oral histories, parish documents, church guides, etched glass images and an interactive computer screen - all based at the ever-open church - tell the story of the parish.

Photograph (L to R) : David Buckle (Wold Newton), Rod Ambler (SLHA President), Linda Sproston (Utterby)

The SLHA Industrial Archaeology hosted the twice yearly East Midlands Industrial Archaeology Conference on Saturday 5 October with the theme entitled "Melting and Smelting" based on the iron and steel industry.

The morning meeting was held at the British Steel Conference Centre in Scunthorpe with three talks from local men who had worked at the town's steelworks or knew the local industry intimately.

Stephen Stubbins described the historical development of the town and the ironstone workings which led to the creation of the huge steelworks of the twentieth century. He showed a large collection of local postcards and photographs from various periods which illustrated the buildings of the town and its iron works and highlighted the environment and working conditions experienced by Scunthorpe men and women.

Bryan Longbone has made a detailed study of the archives which record the Lincolnshire Ironmasters' Association's negotiations with railway companies over haulage rates during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Bryan explained the significance of these transactions and how special rebates and discounts on tonnage rates made huge differences to overall profits for the Scunthorpe companies.

John Hill gave a first-hand account of his work on a rotary steel-making furnace at Scunthorpe - one of only three built in the world - in the 1960s and 70s, and also outlined the operation of the LD process and Ajax furnace at other Scunthorpe sites. The rotary furnace enabled good control of the product so that both high grade carbon steels, on which Scunthorpe built its reputation - and more specialist steels could be produced according to demand.

After lunch the conference members were taken on a tour of the Scunthorpe works in a steam-hauled train run by Appleby Frodingham Steam Preservation Society. This two-hour trip, with commentary, took in all the principal work areas of the plant.

Photographs: Speakers (L to R): John Hill, Steve Stubbins, Bryan Longbone; British Steel Conference Centre, Scunthorpe; members disembarking from the AFSPS train on the steelworks site tour.

As previously reported on the news pages of this website, the reconstruction of Lincoln's Stamp End Railway bridge in August 2017 allowed the retention of the original rare box girders.

An information board about this historic bridge (see right) has recently been erected under the bridge on the south side of the river.

Text and photographs outline the background to the bridge's erection and its significance in the history of bridge building in this country.

The close interest of the Society's Industrial Archaeology group, especially Chris Lester and Eric Newton, has been significant in ensuring this nationally important structure is appropriately recognised.

Dr Paul Stamper, formerly an officer with English Heritage, presented an illustrated overview of the English Home Front in WW1 to SLHA members at St Hugh's Hall, Lincoln on 18 September.

Large buildings and other structures were rapidly created for training combatants, for manufacturing weapons and artillery and for dealing with casualties of the conflict. Among the surviving physical remains of this period are: practice trenches, pill boxes, gun factories, airfields, airship hangars, submarine wrecks, hospitals, shrines and war memorials.

Dr Stamper provided a fascinating range of photographs, including several relating to his home area in Northamptonshire and some of his own family members.

SLHA has lost a prominent and highly regarded member in the death of Brenda Webster. Brenda was for many years the chairman of SLHA's Local History Committee.

Brenda passed away on Saturday 24 August 2019 after a short stay in Lincoln County Hospital. She was born in Grimsby, where her father was a policeman, and in 1955 married John Webster, who served in the RNAS. One posting was in Cornwall where their accommodation was a caravan. This was still on the farm there until comparatively recently, providing a quiet holiday place for Brenda. John died in a plane crash whilst on active service.

Although her family had moved from Grimsby to Heighington before she had completed her course at Winteringham Grammar School, Brenda boarded in Grimsby to finish her studies. She went on to Keele University before becoming a civil servant at the American Base at Wyton, where she advised the troops on life in England. She followed this by employment with the Community Council.

Her love of Local History led her to read for a Local History degree which she completed under the tutorship of Jim Johnston at Bishop Grosseteste College (now University). Having completed the course, along with fellow graduates, she organised regular meetings for many years in the pursuit of further studies of Lincolnshire. Not content with a BA, Brenda went on to obtain an M. Phil. with Hull University in the 1990s.

The house at Heighington had the smithy attached and it is only a few years ago that Brenda disposed of the tools and equipment left just as if her father had completed a day's work. Her mother was a WI member and the daughter continued to enjoy the community there.

Brenda was a long time member of SLHA and before that the Lincolnshire Local History Society, being willing to take office on the various committees and spend time in active participation in a number of projects. She served on the Executive Committee and supported the Industrial Archaeology Team. She was also involved with the Family History Branch in their churchyard memorial inscription recording and with transcriptions for their numerous publications. Above all, she was very active in the Local History Committee and was chairman of the group for a number of years.

Having written a history of Potterhanworth Parish Church, she prepared guidelines for other would-be authors. These are published on SLHA website. Naturally Brenda has made other studies of Heighington and area, given talks on it and conducted village walks. Heighington parish registers have been transcribed, giving Brenda a useful source of information so that she could answer national and international queries sent to the Parish Council. In addition she mounted exhibitions on the village with documents and artefacts she has accumulated. Another contribution to the SLHA website is an article for local history group giving a range of tips and general advice.

"Ration Books and Rabbit Pie", a book published by SLHA in 2008 about the Lincolnshire Home Front in World War 2, was edited by Brenda's close friend and colleague, Linda Crust. Brenda was a key member of the small team that worked with Linda collecting oral material and preparing it for publication.

On a different note, Brenda took pleasure in catering for any and every opportunity, always being the first to volunteer. She did a good professional job. Many who enjoyed the spread said she had missed her vocation. Certainly, volunteering was written large on her list of interests and activities until, of recent years, she had problems with her eyesight. Nevertheless, despite this handicap, it did not stop her in her enthusiastic approach to all things to do with history and her zest for life in general. She was a dedicated student of Lincolnshire history and was an outstanding contributor to research on it.

Rose was the stalwart organiser and chairman of the SLHA Spalding Group for many years.

Rose and her husband Bernard taught at Spalding Girls' High School. They were both keen historians and together wrote "Spalding in Victorian times", After Bernard died in 2001 Rose wrote "Spalding 1625-60, A Fair Town in a World turned upside down".

The branch flourished under the guidance of the Clarkes and became a very successful and active history group. There was a full programme of talks, there was always a bookstall and the financial situation was fine.

After the loss of Bernard, Rose soldiered on with, eventually, less and less support from the members. By the time she left Spalding a few years ago, the meetings at St. John's Church room were at a low ebb. It is sad to record that after all the responsibility, energy and hard work Rose gave to the group, it has now folded.

We extend our sympathy to Rose's family and express our grateful thanks that she encouraged the study of history in the Spalding area for so long and with such commitment.

We record with sadness the death of Mrs Vera Miller in Lincoln on 26 August.

Vera was a keen and experienced member of the Lincolnshire Family History Society. She served on LFHS committees and was part of a small select group that attended Lincolnshire Archives on a weekly basis to research answers to the society's members' queries and collate parish records.

For a short while between 1989 and 1990 Vera was SLHA's Honorary Treasurer.

Members of the SLHA Industrial Archaeology team have recently recorded a redundant wind pump at Oxcombe in the Wolds. This was made by the Buckinghamshire firm of E H Roberts and probably erected in the early twentieth century to raise water for farm stock.

In order to understand the operation of the wind pump, team members visited the Wind Energy Museum at Repps in Norfolk on 23 August. A range of wind engines, mostly in good working order, are displayed at the museum, though missing an example of Roberts' extensive range.

In early August new signboards produced by Allen Signs of Whisby Road were erected at Jews' Court, one on the wall by the entrance and the other suspended above the pavement.

The hand-painted signs produced over 15 years ago had become very dull and battered. The signs - before and after - are shown below

A service was held to mark St Oswald's Day in the nave of the ruined abbey church of Bardney Abbey on Sunday 4 August. Over 60 attended the short ecumenical service and enjoyed a picnic on the grassy site.

The trust responsible for the abbey (Jews' Court and Bardney Abbey Trust) will shortly be amalgamating with SLHA, whose long-term headquarters have been at Jews' Court.

A number of enthusiastic family groups helped the Society celebrate the 2019 National Festival of Archaeology with a joint event with Kirton-in-Lindsey Society held at the Jubilee Town Hall on Thursday 25th July.

Visitors had the opportunity to investigate a selection of images of Lincolnshire archaeology plus real and replica artefacts, and discover how they can help us find out about people in the past and how they lived.

Creating an Iron Age shield using card and foils and inspired by images of the real Witham shield, proved a popular activity. Adults and children alike were intrigued by the story of the Witham shield and how and where it was discovered. Other craft activities on offer included making a medieval head in clay and using craft materials to create some Roman style jewellery inspired by real examples.

The event was organised by Kathy Holland of the Society with thanks to the Kirton-in-Lindsey Society and the Jubilee Town Hall.

As part of the 2019 Festival of Archaeology two members of the SLHA Industrial Archaeology team, Chris Lester and Eric Newton, led a tour of the small-scale waterworks at Gunby Hall on Wednesday 24 July.

A group of thirteen visitors were shown the range of water features which are located in the pasture a few hundred yards south-east of the Hall. Water from natural springs on this, the site of a medieval village, was collected and retained in a covered reservoir (see illustration) and then pumped to the house and its surrounding buildings and garden. Remains of both the original nineteenth century ram pump and the wind pump which replaced it were examined and discussed.

The interest and support of Astrid Gatenby and her staff at Gunby, a National Trust property, are warmly acknowledged.

SLHA contributed to the Uphill Lincoln Week (July 15-21) by offering a guided walk each day. The walking tours had the themes of Roman Uphill Lincoln and Lincoln's Medieval Streets and Markets.

Despite the indifferent weather, the seven tours attracted a total of over 90 participants, some of whom were locals and some visitors to the city.

The tour guides who shared the leadership were Nigel Burn, Tom Finegan, Penny Forsdyke, Avril Golding, Malcolm Stainforth and Karen Wood.

Photo: The Roman tour, close to Newport Arch

David Bramford, who died on 19 June, played a leading role in setting up and running the Society's Sleaford group. He served as secretary there for many years and could always be relied on to represent the group's interests with vigour and, if necessary, persistence. His particular interests were family history and local history in the Sleaford area.

In his career as gardener and groundsman, David worked at Caythorpe Court, Belton House and various County Council estates. He lived his whole life in Dembleby - in the charming "Lovely Cottage" - and was intimately involved in life of St Lucia's church in the village.

David Bramford will be fondly remembered for his solid contribution to many local organisations and for his cheerful and lively outlook on the world.

The 2019 SLHA Study Tour was based in Exeter over the weekend 11 to 15 July. The event was organised and led by Ken Hollamby with the essential involvement of local guides and heritage site managers.

The long drive to Devon was broken by a visit to Stonehenge. The first full day kept the group in Exeter, first at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum (where Tom Cadbury former Lincoln museum curator was the guide) and then, according to individual choice, at various city sites.

Most of the group took a cruise along the Jurassic Coast from Exmouth to Sidmouth on Saturday morning. This was followed by a visit to Beer Quarry Caves.

Sunday was spent in the Merrivale area of Dartmoor viewing a variety of archaeological sites on a walk led by Richard Ware of the Dartmoor Guides.

The final visit was to Coldharbour Mill at Uffcolme on the journey back to Lincolnshire. It was a very enjoyable weekend for all, enhanced by warm summer weather.

Photos: Members at Stonehenge and Dartmoor (Bronze Age standing stone)

The annual lecture in honour of Robert Carr Brackenbury was held in the recently refurbished chapel attached to Brackenbury's house at Raithby by Spilsby on 13 July. The speaker was Prof Mark Seaward, Emeritus Professor of Environmental Biology, Bradford University; his topic "Environmental Interpretation of the English Landscape, with particular reference to Tennyson, John Clare and Peter de Wint".

Prof Seaward illustrated his talk with extracts from the poems of Tennyson and Clare, the latter being much more au fait with the details of local fauna and flora and also with the upheaval of rural life at the time of Enclosure in early nineteenth-century Lincolnshire.

This year's lecture was arranged by the Tennyson Society and chaired by Kathleen Jefferson. In line with the unfailing and much valued tradition, a splendid tea was provided by ladies of Spilsby Methodist Church and served in Raithby Village Hall after the lecture.

The monthly meeting at St Hugh's Hall Lincoln on 19 June enjoyed an absorbing talk from Professor Carenza Lewis* on an archaeological excavation at Dunwich on the Suffolk coast in 2015.  This brief but intensive project was led by archaeologists from the Universities of Cambridge and Lincoln working alongside members of the local community.

For a time during the 12th and 13th centuries Dunwich was the fifth largest town in the country but it dwindled in size to today's mere handful of houses through two factors: the steady erosion of the coastline to the east, where the town's buildings were situated, and the silting up of the all-important harbour to the north alongside the estuary of the Dunwich River.

The excavation led by Prof Lewis, through trenches and test pits, uncovered a wide range of pottery fragments which confirmed the time span and significance of the settlement as a trading centre. It also became clear that the loss of the harbour, not the coastal erosion, was the primary cause of Dunwich's decline; there was evidence that the town did not sustain its size by rebuilding on safer ground to the west as the sea encroached.

* Carenza Lewis is Professor for the Public Understanding of Research, College of  Arts, University of Lincoln

On Saturday 15 June a conference was held at Christ's Hospital School, Lincoln, on The Civil War in Lincolnshire 1642-1660. The event was organised jointly by SLHA and the Cromwell Association. The presentations delivered to the audience of over 120 were:

Lincolnshire and the Outbreak of Civil War - Dr Clive Holmes

Cromwell's First Campaign: Peterborough, Crowland and Gainsborough 1643 - Stuart Orme

Crisis in Command: Conflicting Military Authorities in the East Midlands - Professor Martyn Bennet

Life in a Garrisoned Town: Newark 1642-1644; Bolthole and Bastion for East Midlands Royalists - Dr Stuart Jennings

The City of Lincoln during and after the English Civil Wars - Dr Jonathan Fitzgibbons

Adam Cartwright's history of the Grantham Brewer, Mowbray and Co, published in in Volume 19 of the SLHA journal Lincolnshire History and Archaeology has received a Local History Award from the British Association for Local History. Adam was presented with the award at a meeting of BALH in London on 1 June.

This award recognises the painstaking research that Adam regularly invests in a range of Lincolnshire related topics and his skill in marshalling and presenting his material. It also reflects on the high standards set by the editor of LHA, Dave Start, and excellent work of Ros Beevers in typesetting and layout of our journal.

Photograph: Adam Cartwright receiving the award from Professor Caroline Barron, BALH  President.

As part of the 2019 Wolds Walking festival, Stewart Squires led a walk from the Viking Centre in Claxby on 31 May to the nearby site of the nineteenth century ironstone mine.

A keen and attentive group of walkers learned about the precarious life of miners and, under the leader's expert guidance, made some sense of the steep hillside's humps and hollows.

Stewart's book on the ironstone mines at Claxby and Nettleton was published by SLHA in 2017.

Over seventy members, guests and speakers assembled at the Storehouse in Skegness on 18 May for the Local History Conference "Beside the Seaside".

Sue Leese began with her personal reflections of the 1953 flood at Sutton on Sea. Much of her knowledge had come from her father who had been a teacher in the town. Accounts from the children he taught survived and formed the basis of her book on the flood.

Chris Hewis explained the development of Skegness as a resort through maps, images, adverts and postcards dating from the 1870s. Particularly amusing was his story of how the landowning Earl of Scarbrough had named the new streets and squares after members of his extended family.

Dr Susan Barton of De Montfort University described the story of the 1932 Sandhills Act which allowed the then Lindsey County Council to remove the collection of shanty holiday homes which had been built on the sandhills of the east coast. Her research had been helped by the discovery of a remarkable set of photos taken by the council before the Act.

Dr Caitlin Green outlined the evolution of the Lincolnshire coastline from c. 1250-1650 with stories of drowned villages, lost barrier islands and erosion. Caitlin's in-depth research involved much use of maps including some from the late David Robinson.

Skegness-born Tammy Smalley, Head of Conservation for Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, introduced herself by detailing her extensive Lincolnshire ancestry. She then described various coastal changes and the effect on wildlife and natural habitats in coastal saltwater and freshwater marshes and the various seal colonies and diversity of birds that wintered around our shores.

Jim Snee, the Project Officer of Heritage Lincolnshire's Layers of History, recounted the decline and fall of Freiston Shore from a popular resort with two hotels and attractions such as horseracing to the peaceful RSPB reserve of today. The extension of the railway to Skegness was largely responsible - later railway plans to Freiston Shore never materialised.

The Local History team is grateful to all the speakers and to the Storehouse for their excellent facilities and buffet.

At the monthly SLHA meeting in St Hugh's Hall on 17 April, Chris Hewis gave an illustrated talk about a remarkable Lincolnshire-born nurse.

Jean Bemrose, born Asterby 1885, trained in Liverpool and served in several English hospitals under the Red Cross. Promoted to sister in 1915, she worked in the St John Ambulance Brigade hospital in the large hospital complex at Etapes, northern France, where she dealt with severely wounded soldiers from the French and Belgian battlefields.

A German bombing raid on the hospital in spring 1918 destroyed the building and, under dangerous conditions, Jean continued to care for her patients with little concern for her own safety. For this she was awarded the Military Medal.

Jean Bemrose retained many items relating to her wartime experiences - including some exceptional photographs - and these have been passed on through her nephew to the Saxilby and District History Society (of which Chris Hewis is chairman).

An Easter Holiday event organised by the Society for families on the popular theme of Tudors took place at Market Rasen Library.

This well attended event offered visitors a selection of activities, one of which was to craft a jester's head in clay. This was inspired by a jester's head which features in the photo galleries on the Society website and is part of the archaeology collections at The Collection in Lincoln.

Additional activities included making a Tudor Rose pendant and finding out the history of the Tudor Rose. Visitors were also able to try their hand at playing Tudor Five Stones in addition to using their imaginations to create a Story Scroll.

Both visitors and staff at Market Rasen Library are keen for the Society to continue to arrange more events for families.

Event organised by Kathy Holland

Marjorie Whaler, who died recently, grew up in Cleethorpes and after marriage and moving around the country, she and her husband Bernard returned to their native county. In particular, Marjorie was pleased to dwell near Lincoln and be in a position to build on her interest in archaeology.

She did not get involved in much active archaeology but found several organisations in which she could foster her interest. SLHA became an important one of them.

Marjorie became involved with the library at SLHA and, with the aid of a lottery grant, she fully indexed the collection and kept it up to date for many years. She also produced a card index of articles published in the Society's magazines (before the days of digitisation).

Answering a multitude of queries about LIncolnshire's history and archaeology - often involving considerable research - was another invaluable contribution that she made over several years in the 'backroom' at SLHA. She was also one of the reguar volunteers delivering the quarterly mailing to members in her local area to the east of Lincoln.

Marjorie was one of those most valuable workers behind the scenes so vital to the wellbeing of the Society.

Over the weekend March 30-31 many of Lincoln's historic sites opened their doors and welcomed visitors - at no charge. Jews' Court again attracted a number of visitors who were told about its history and significance by Pearl Wheatley. Chris Hewis was guide to a mounted display of Lincoln photographs from his postcard collection; he also showed visitors less familiar areas of the building, including the attic.

Tours looking at historic aspects of the City were arranged on both Saturday and Sunday. These covered Roman Uphill Lincoln, Medieval streets and markets, and the city in the Victorian industrial period. Leaders were Penny, Karen, Avril, Mal, Tom and Nigel. The total count of tour participants was 337, a very satisfying number.

Photos: Right - Penny and Karen leading groups looking at aspects of Lincoln in the industrial period.
Below: Chris Hewis (centre) and Pearl Wheatley (left) giving insights into Jews' Court's history and discussing local photographs.

Ruben Lopez Catalan is the principal archaeologist working on the site of Lincoln's new Eastern Bypass, particularly near the crossing over the Witham and the B1190 in Washingborough. He described the range of finds revealed on this large excavated site in a talk to SLHA members on Sunday 17 March.

There have been many interesting - some outstanding and nationally important - finds from every period: axe heads and flints (Palaeolithic); funerary enclosure (Neolithic); barrows and log boat (Bronze Age); timber causeway (Iron Age); villa, coins, Samian ware, leatherware, artefacts (Roman); extensive cemetery, various artefacts (Saxon); Cistercian monastic grange (Medieval); farmstead (Post-Medieval).

Elys Varney gave a brief biography of this nineteenth century bishop in a talk to SLHA members as part of a Sunday Special at Jews' Court on 17 March. Wordsworth (1807-1885), nephew of the poet, was an outstanding student at Winchester and Cambridge before ordination (by Bishop Kaye of Lincoln) and significant travels in Italy and Greece.

As Headmaster of Harrow School he had a school chapel built and transformed religious worship. He then became a Canon (later Archdeacon) of Westminster and held a living in Berkshire. He was appointed to the Bishopric of Lincoln in 1869, a post he held until his death in 1885.

As Bishop he founded the City's Theological College (latterly in Wordsworth Street, named after the Bishop) and was a key figure in the reorganisation of the Diocese. As a scholar he published commentaries on both New and Old Testaments and was a noted writer of hymns.

The late David Robinson of Louth was an acknowledged authority on Lincolnshire bricks - both their production and use in the County's buildings. He amassed a large collection of local bricks and also a range of documents about Lincolnshire's brickmaking industry.

Ken Redmore gave details of David's brick 'legacy' in one of three talks at Jews' Court on 17 March. Photographs showing kilns, machinery and brickworkers are invaluable but quite rare. These together with brickyard histories and written accounts of local brickmaking practice are highlights of the written and printed material.

Industrial archaeologists from SLHA have selected about 200 bricks from David's huge collection (fortunately all carefully labelled) and prepared these as a permanent collection to be retained and displayed at the Alford Manor House Museum.  Some bricks are from identified brickyards and brickmakers; some are from demolished or decaying local buildings; others are examples of brick and tile types which David used in his popular courses. (David is seen, right, with students moulding a brick on one of his Horncastle College courses.)

Paul Robinson, OBE, retired air vice-marshal, spoke to SLHA members at St Hugh's Hall, Lincoln on 13 February. There were 27 bases within the Lincolnshire (widely known as "Bomber County") from which bomber aircraft flew in WW2 and it is fitting that the national memorial and archive should be located close to Lincoln.

As the war progressed the design and capabilities of bomber aircraft developed rapidly and the ability to pinpoint enemy targets improved considerably.  Nevertheless huge numbers of aircraft and men were lost; out of nearly 9000 bombers which were shot down or crashed, 3500 were from Lincolnshire airfields. Pilots and aircrew had a very low life expectancy and it is their bravery and fortitude that are commemorated in particular at the new IBCC.

"Unlocking the Power of Aerial Photography" was the title of a short talk given by Kathryn Murphy* at a Sunday Special in Lincoln on 20 January. This useful technique "took off" in the First World War and in a short time its value as a tool for revealing and understanding archaeological sites was recognised. Millions of aerial images, either vertical or oblique, have now been collected and are available for study.

Shadows cast by small undulations in grassland indicate the layout of sites such as deserted medieval villages, and variations in crop growth in cultivated land can indicate the location of long-buried structures. Exceptionally dry periods also give rise to differential growth and maturing rates of grass in sites of buried archaeology.

The more recent technique of LIDAR has added considerably to the benefits of aerial photography.

Mark Gardiner* was one of three speakers at a well-attended SLHA Sunday Special in Lincoln on 20 January. He gave details of the twelfth century timbers found in Lincoln Lane Farmhouse, Sixhills, where SLHA's Building Recording Group (RUBL) has been conducting a recording project.

These timbers form the floor joists of a wool store in the early sixteenth-century farmhouse. Dendrochronology gives 1139-64 as the felling date and further analysis (dendroprovenancing) indicates they came from oaks owned by the Crown in Sherwood Forest. The original use of the timber (before Sixhills) is still being considered; deep holes spaced along the edges of the timbers are significant but puzzling.

*Dr Mark Gardiner is Reader in Heritage at the College of Arts, University of Lincoln

Photograph: Lincoln Lane Farmhouse, Sixhills

The theme of Neil Wright's talk at the Sunday Special on 20 January was the links between Lincolnshire's Boston and its namesake in Massachusetts, USA.

In the early seventeenth century Boston in Lincolnshire was deeply influenced by Puritan religion and philosophy. Its Calvinistic vicar John Cotton led the way and developed a strong following in the town and in the wider region.

The groups of settlers who established a colony in what became Boston in America in 1630 took Cotton as a spiritual leader. Over the next forty years, as the new Boston became established, leaders of the new colony mostly originated from Lincolnshire.

Photograph: Boston Guildhall

Little Walsingham in north Norfolk has been a place of pilgrimage since the building of the priory in the twelfth century. Several medieval buildings related to hospitality for pilgrims survive in the town and have been the subject of recent study by the Norfolk Historic Buildings Group.

Ian Hinton, a leading member of NHBG, gave an illustrated talk on these buildings to SLHA members in Lincoln on 16 January. Many of the buildings are timber-framed, exhibiting a range of structural styles and decoration. A variety of trusses, dragon posts, staircases and wall paintings were illustrated by Ian in this enjoyable and informative presentation.

Photo: SLHA members on a visit to Walsingham in 2017 

1269
* Austin Friars established in Lincoln; one of their buildings, Greyfriars, still stands between Broadgate and Free School Lane.

1519
* Katherine Willoughby, 4th wife of the Duke of Suffolk, who lived at Grimsthorpe with her second husband Richard Bertie, born this year (22 March)

1619
* Margaret Flowers, one of the witches of Belvoir, hanged at Lincoln Castle (11 March)
* Thomas, Lord Clinton, alias Fiennes, MP for Lincolnshire between 1604 and 1610 died at Tattershall (15 January)
* The Free Grammar School in Heighington founded by Thomas Garratt for poor children in Heighington, Washingborough and Branston
* Sir Richard Hansard died. He was born in Biscathorpe in 1550 and served with distinction as a soldier in Ireland.

1669
* Birth of Susannah Wesley, mother of John, Charles and 13 other children
* Isaac Newton appointed Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University at the age of 26
* Land purchased for first Quaker burial ground in Lincoln

1719
* Free school established in East Kirkby by the endowment of Gregory Croft and his wife Margaret (16 May)
* William Banks, father of Sir Joseph Banks, born Revesby
* Donington Grammar School established by Thomas Cowley
* John Landen FRS, mathematician, born Spalding (23 January)
* John Grundy, civil engineer based in Spalding, born Congerstone, Leicestershire. His major works in Lincolnshire include the earth dam at Grimsthorpe Castle and Louth Navigation.
* Sir George Thorold of Harmston became Lord Mayor of London

1769
* Lincoln County Hospital founded near Broadgate Bridge (it moved to Drury Lane in 1777)
* Eresby Hall, Spilsby, home of the Willoughby family, destroyed by fire
* Sir Francis Bernard (1712-1779), one time High Steward of Lincoln and Recorder of Boston, created Ist Baronet Bernard of Nettleham, (5 April) (the baronetcy became extinct 1883)
* Parishes enclosed by Act of Parliament: Atterby, Barnoldby le Beck, Beckingham, Claypole, Ingham, North Hykeham, Snitterby, South Willingham, Sudbrook, Waddingham, Waltham
* Revd William Reckitt was born near Gainsborough. He worked as a weaver in Wainfleet and spent time in America as a missionary.

1819
* James Coultas, agricultural engineer, born Grantham
* Independent chapel, costing £1200, opened in Grove Street, Boston
* Thomas Forman, printer & publisher of the Nottingham Guardian from 1849, born Louth (19 January)
* Maud Foster five-sailed windmill built in Boston for Thomas and Isaac Reckitt of Wainfleet by the Hull millwrights Norman and Smithson at a cost of £1,800
* Lincoln Lunatic Asylum founded off Union Road, later to become known as The Lawn
* Lincolnshire's second Agricultural Society formed at a meeting in the Reindeer Inn, Guildhall Street, Lincoln (21 April)
* The medieval market cross rebuilt at Market Deeping
* Free School built in Market Deeping
* Turner, Hardy and Newcombe's Bank formed in Grantham with a capital of £16,000
* Joseph Shuttleworth, boat builder, then agricultural engineer, born at Dogdyke (12 July)

1869
* Foundation stone of St Swithun's Church, Lincoln laid by the Bishop of Lincoln, Christopher Wordsworth (Easter Day)
* Christopher Addison MP, the first Minister of Health 1919-21, born at Hogsthorpe (19 June)
* First Show of the current Lincolnshire Agriculture Society held in Lincoln on the Cowpaddle (29-31 July)
* Diana, the last whaling shop from the port of Hull, wrecked at Donna Nook in a severe gale
* Grantham's Guildhall, designed by William Watkins of Lincoln and built by William Wartnaby, completed at a cost of £2,480
* All Hallows church, North Kelsey, largely rebuilt by William White
* Arthur Smith, first curator of Lincoln's City and County Museum (now The Collection), born Leicester.
* Schools opened at Osgodby, Careby and South Hykeham
* St Phillip Mission church built at Guy's Head in the parish of Sutton Bridge
* Lincoln YMCA founded
* Greek National poet Andreas Kalvos died in Louth and later buried in Keddington churchyard. Following intervention by the Greek Ambassador, his body was repatriated to Zacynthos in 1960.

1919
* Boston Council purchased land for Central Park (previously Hopkin's Park)
* Florence Jackson murdered in a fit of jealousy by George Rowland at Fulbeck (31 May)
* Work began on Swanpool Garden Suburb, Lincoln
* Lincolnshire Tennis (The Lincolnshire Lawn Tennis Association) founded
* What finally became St John's Hospital at Bracebridge Heath changed its name from Bracebridge District Lunatic Asylum to Bracebridge Mental Hospital
* Eamon de Valera, Irish Dissident, escaped from Lincoln Prison with the aid of a duplicate key concealed in a cake (4 February)
* First international tractor trials to be held in the UK, South Carlton (September)

1969
* The Lincolnshire Association for the Arts and Heritage opened the Museum of Lincolnshire Life (29 July)
* Four horse riders (an instructor and three 8-year-old children) died in thick fog on the beach at Cleethorpes (17 September)
* Primary schools closed in Ashby de la Launde, Bicker, Burton Pedwardine, Sutton St Edmund, and Withcall.
* Horncastle Children's Home closed. The buildings were then extended and remodelled as the County's residential education centre.
* Robert Stephenson, 75-year-old recluse, killed by robbers at his home in Barton upon Humber (April)
* Regular hovercraft service between Grimsby and Hull began (17 Feb)
* Tony Jacklin, a native of Scunthorpe, won The Open Championship (golf), the first British player for 18 years to do so (12 July)