After several years of meeting in members’ homes, we went on Zoom in April 2020. We meet monthly; when we were able to meet in person we combined historical research and discussion with coffee and chat. We also usually organised one or two visits each year.
In autumn 2021 we managed two hybrid meetings with some members meeting at the Co-ordinator’s home and others joining on Zoom. These have been suspended whilst Omicron sorts itself out and we are back wholly on Zoom for now.
Members take responsibility for researching and giving a presentation or leading a discussion about a topic each month. We have been in the 18th century for several years now – worldwide history. We don’t stick strictly to this period and are happy to hear about other interests. For a time we had two shorter sessions at each meeting but have drifted back to one topic per month.
Our programme for 2021 and plans so far for 2022 are as follows:
| 2021 | 2022 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | The Ragged Schools Japan in the 18th century | January | Elizabeth Fry | |
| February | George Washington Freedom of Movement From Earliest Times to the Present | February | Charlotte of Micklenburg-Sterelitz | |
| March | Meissen/German porcelain in the 18th Century The Inheritance of Francis Galton | March | ||
| April | Freedom of Speech across the ages. Catherine the Great | April | ||
| May | Wolfe Tone and his part in the 1798 Rebellion Barnoldswick in the 18th century: the story of a West Riding Pennine town. | May | Native Americans in the 18th century. | |
| June | Caroline Herschel – The Accidental Astronomer Mudlarking | June | ‘England had more freedom of worship in the year 1700 than America had’. D H Lawrence. | |
| July | Extract from the Memoirs of Maria Doroshinskaya as transcribed by Norman Rimmell | July | ||
| August | Causes and consequences of the American War of Independence. | August | ||
| September | The Irish Potato Famine | September | ||
| October | The history of Sèvres Porcelain | October | ||
| November | The travels and travails of Lady Mary Wortley-Montague | November | ||
| December | England in the 14th century | December | ||
To contact the History Group 2 coordinator, Helen Boocock, please e-mail, or telephone 01629 734290.