This talk was given on 26 July 2021. Oxford University’s Botanic Garden, the oldest in Britain, was founded in July 1621. Jacob Bobart, the ‘German Prince of Plants’, was the first keeper, famed both for his horticultural skill and his eccentricities. Some of the important visitors and events associated with the Garden will also be featured, including Ashmole, apes, aeronauts and ‘Alice’.
In this talk, delivered on 22 November 2021, Tim Healey created a vibrant portrait of Christmas in a turbulent age, describing Lords of Misrule, Twelfth Night revels, wassails, Boar’s Head feasts, frost fairs on the frozen Thames – and the Puritan ban on Christmas itself.
Recording of the talk: "A Gentleman would not like it:" The History of Restraint in Mental Health Care by Sarah Chaney given to the society on 25 January 2021.
On 9 August John Vigar took us on a virtual tour of some of Oxfordshire Churches and discuss their architecture and furnishings.
On 13 September 2021 Ian Waller talked to us about the life and work of Agricultural Labourers.
This talk on the 27 September 2021 explored this extraordinary organisation from past to present with reference to the sites and casualties cared for across the world. It began by discussing the conception of the CWGC by its founder and the principles put into place at that time that continue to define what and how they do it.
This talk was given on 12 July 2021. Your old photographs are valuable assets that should be cared for and preserved. But they should also be seen and appreciated. A good quality photo restoration saves the original by creating a new image and giving the new version pride of place. A restoration should be sympathetic to the original and bring it back to life.
On 8 March 2021 Celia Heritage explained the different things to look out for when visiting a church and a churchyard.
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This is a follow up to Phil's earlier talk on using Research Plans to help with Family History Research. This time Phil will concentrate on how to build the plan. His talk took place on 11 October 2021.
The presentation, on 13 December 2021, by members of the Education team of the Genealogical Society of Victoria in Australia covered convict records, the bounty immigration schemes, free immigrants and the immigration schemes in the 20th century including the 10 Pound POM scheme. It also covered the resources available with emphasis on those available online.
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Railways were one of the largest employers and many companies left a legacy of staff records. In this talk, given on 12 April 2021, Ian Waller examined how those records help piece together the career of a railway worker up to nationalisation in 1948.
This talk, given on 24 May 2021, concerns establishing the truth of a WWI friendship between two Wiltshire farmers' sons, and why one's marriage to the sister of the other, led to the unexpected discovery of an 18th Century Grant of Arms, several 18th Century family trees, crested china and a signet ring. Also an 18th Century print of the College of Arms where a family namesake was Richmond Herald. The story of the fortunes of this family of farmers descended from Merchant Mariner adventurers provides a fascinating insight into the 18thC and their descendant families are searched for the linkage that would show why that cache of 18th Century material descended to its present owners.
The presentation on 28 June 2021 showcased the use of a large number of datasets made available online by Oxfordshire Libraries for the benefit of library members. These datasets can be used at home by anybody that has an Oxfordshire Library Card and without charge.
On 22 February 2021 Simon traced the development of Salter's Steamers showing how it grew from a leading racing-boat constructor in Wandsworth to become one of the largest inland boat-builders and passenger boat operators in the country. he aslo described many of the famous names associated with the business, including Lewis Carroll, William Morris, Edward VII, Jerome K. Jerome, T. E. Lawrence and C. S. Lewis. The talk was given on 22 February 2021.
Anyone lucky enough to trace their ancestry to the 17th century will face undoubted challenges from gaps in parish registers and the upheavals of civil wars. In this talk, given on 10 May 2021, Else Churchill looked at the problems and some of the solutions that will inform genealogy research in this century.
This talk was given on 14 June 2021. Founded in 1731, The Gentleman’s Magazine was the world’s first magazine, reporting domestic and foreign news, announcing the latest discoveries in science, medicine and technology, reviewing books and recording freak weather, births, marriages and military promotions. Its obituaries of the deceased laid the foundation for the later Dictionary of National Biography and are a major source for the lives and deaths of thousands of 18 th century people.
On 8 February 2021 Christ Fleet of the National Library of Scotland described the main types of map that are useful for family history research. The main focus was an online demonstration of the main ways of finding these maps and viewing them online, as well as the range of georeferenced map viewers, and how these can best be used together.
