Buckinghamshire History Festival
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Since 1999 the Field Detectives have forged trusting and lasting relationships with landowners, local communities, and heritage sector colleagues. By sharing the stories that we uncover from our field survey activities; we continue to inform a better understanding of how our farming landscapes evolved over the centuries.
Our field survey reports are an exact finds location record, and by working closely with our heritage sector colleagues, we are establishing a growing set of detailed historic collections. These detailed studies are held in trust by the respective landowners who act as heritage custodians; providing a unique set of rich historical landscape investigations for further study and collaboration.
Every field really does, have its own unique story to tell
If you have a field for us to investigate; give us a call.
http://Goadby Marwood History Group (goadby-marwood-history.co.uk)
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Mary Shelley 1797-1851 was a literary superstar, and sometime resident of Marlow, where she now gives walking tours:
www.marydoesmarlow.eventbrite.com
Mark Bateman is Reading Services Officer at Buckinghamshire Library Service. If you are interested in finding out more about the Mary Shelley books available through the Library Service, take a look at the catalogue, here: https://buckinghamshire.spydus.co.uk/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/MSGTRN/WPAC/HOME
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Tony Sargeant is the Secretary of Bucks Family History Society and researches local history of Buckinghamshire, especially the Stoke Hundred. He worked for the Post Office Telephones in West London before becoming an IT Technician at St Bernard’s Catholic Grammar School, Slough. Since retirement he has expanded his research in Buckinghamshire history. He is also a member of Buckinghamshire Archaeological Society and Buckinghamshire Record Society. At the moment he is researching Colnbrook as well as working for the Buckinghamshire Black History Research Group.
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Cathy is a qualified architectural historian and accredited genealogist who has specialised in carrying out house histories for both private homeowners and commercial clients for nearly 20 years.
Living in Buckinghamshire, Cathy has researched the history of numerous houses in the county as well as many further afield. Local homes researched have been as diverse as medieval manor houses, old pubs, converted schools, farmhouses and Georgian townhouses. She is an expert on Rothschild estate buildings in the Vale of Aylesbury having studied them in depth for the dissertation for her architectural history qualification. Each history undertaken is bespoke and tailored to a client’s specific requirements. As well as carrying out documentary research on the history of a property, Cathy can also provide a structural overview. The history can be produced in different formats and she also works with a professional photographer to provide beautifully illustrated house history books.
Cathy has written articles for various publications, given regular talks and provides ‘Ask the Expert’ advice on house histories at Family History shows. She is a Member and the current Secretary of AGRA, the Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives which maintains and promotes high standards of professional conduct in the field of genealogy and historical research.
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Dillibe Onyeama was born in Enugu, the second son of influential judge Charles Dadi Umeha Onyeama, and on the day of his birth became the first black boy to be registered to attend Eton College. Becoming a pupil there in 1965, and leaving in 1969, he wrote a book while still a teenager about his experiences of discrimination and bullying at the elite British boarding-school, published in 1972. In 2020 the school’s present headmaster, Simon Henderson, offered Onyeama an apology for the treatment he had received.
Onyeama obtained a diploma from the Premier School of Journalism, before returning to Nigeria In 1981, and establishing the publishing company Delta Publications, based in Enugu.
In February 2022 Penguin will be publishing a new edition of his first book, A Black Boy at Eton, which can be pre-ordered here: https://amzn.to/32i6sMI
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Caroline Bressey was born and grew up in London. In 1997 she graduated from the University of Cambridge with BA Honours in Geography. In 1998 she joined the UCL Geography department as postgraduate student and was awarded her PhD Forgotten Geographies: Historical Geographies of Black Women in Victorian and Edwardian London in 2003. Between 2003 and 2007 Caroline continued to research the Black Presence in Victorian Britain and the role of the anti-racist community as an ESRC postdoctoral student and research fellow. In 2007 she became a lecturer in human geography and founded the Equiano Centre to support research into the Black Presence in Britain. In 2009 she was awarded a Philip Leverhulme Prize.
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Jackie originally studied archaeology and worked as a museum curator in London, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire for 11 years.
Whilst working at Wycombe Museum in High Wycombe she developed a strong interest in furniture and studied furniture design at Buckinghamshire New University whilst re-training as a gardener. After running her own gardening business and working locally for the National Trust she became Gardener at Turn End in 2010.
Jackie enjoys the very varied work, mostly hands-on gardening but also helping manage the estate, hosting group visits and events and working with Turn End Trust on strategic planning and fundraising.
Claire de Carle MA is a garden historian, with a keen interest in horticulture, art and social history. She was instrumental in the establishment of the Buckinghamshire Gardens Trust Research & Recording project in 2013 which has produced reports on around 100 locally important historic gardens, her work for the project includes mentoring and training the volunteers. She now advises other county garden trusts on setting up similar projects.
For the last two years she has been the vice chair of the trust and she will shortly take over as chair.
She enjoys writing articles about her research into little known historic landscape gardens and more recently she has set up two other projects: Artists and their Gardens and Public Parks in Buckinghamshire. She also lectures to local groups about Buckinghamshire gardens and Maud Grieve, the herbalist who was the subject of her dissertation.
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Melanie Backe-Hansen is an independent historian, writer, and speaker, specialising in the social history of houses across the United Kingdom. Melanie is a research consultant for the popular BBC programme, A House Through Time, and to accompany the series Melanie has co-written the new book, A House Through Time, with historian David Olusoga, released in paperback on 2 September 2021. She was series historical consultant and on-screen expert for Phil Spencer’s History of Britain in 100 Homes (More4). She is also the author of House Histories: The Secrets Behind Your Front Door and Historic Streets and Squares: The Secrets on Your Doorstep.
The main focus of Melanie’s work involves original research for homeowners across the country to provide research reports and bespoke house history books. Melanie regularly contributes to national media and appears on television, radio, and online media. She is also a regular speaker at events and festivals, as well as universities and history groups. Melanie is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Member of the Royal Historical Society, and an Honorary Teaching Fellow at the University of Dundee.
http://www.house-historian.co.uk
More details of Mel’s book: A House Through Time https://bit.ly/3kkaMBi
Cathy is a qualified architectural historian and accredited genealogist who has specialised in carrying out house histories for both private homeowners and commercial clients for nearly 20 years.
Living in Buckinghamshire, Cathy has researched the history of numerous houses in the county as well as many further afield. Local homes researched have been as diverse as medieval manor houses, old pubs, converted schools, farmhouses and Georgian townhouses. She is an expert on Rothschild estate buildings in the Vale of Aylesbury having studied them in depth for the dissertation for her architectural history qualification. Each history undertaken is bespoke and tailored to a client’s specific requirements. As well as carrying out documentary research on the history of a property, Cathy can also provide a structural overview. The history can be produced in different formats and she also works with a professional photographer to provide beautifully illustrated house history books.
Cathy has written articles for various publications, given regular talks and provides ‘Ask the Expert’ advice on house histories at Family History shows. She is a Member and the current Secretary of AGRA, the Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives which maintains and promotes high standards of professional conduct in the field of genealogy and historical research.
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This year’s Aylesbury Festival of Lights is on 13th November, more details here https://holycowcommunityevents.org/about-the-event
Poonam Gupta
Poonam had the idea to organise a community festival to mark Diwali and is the founder of Aylesbury’s Festival of Lights. Her positivity and enthusiasm are at the heart of making this annual event a fantastic success.
Poonam is a business owner, managing Holy Cow Home, an ethical boutique in Aylesbury and recently launching Holy Cow Tea. She sits on several community committees and is also a wife and mother.
As a Hindu, Poonam has relished the annual Diwali celebrations and she would love people of all cultures and faiths to unite and share a joyous experience.
Vicky Jackson
Vicky joined the Board in 2020, bringing her wealth of experience in event organisation.
She has held several roles in the investment banking sector from Foreign Exchange Prime Brokerage Client Services, to her current role as a Fixed Income Relationship Manager. Alongside this role, she chairs and hosts an internal network promoting personal and professional growth, wellbeing and networking.
Vicky graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in Sports and Exercise Science and has recently completed the Ivy House leadership course. She lives with her fiancé and dog, Luna.
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The photograph in question…showing the chemise, boot and strap, which were found within a chimney place in Oving, Bucks.
Judi McGinley is an archives officer who joined Buckinghamshire Archives back in 2018. She has previously worked and volunteered in various heritage organisations including the Museum and Library of the Order of St John, Clerkenwell, the London Fire Brigade Museum and Library and the British Red Cross Archives. Judi’s hobbies include World and Independent cinema, watercolour painting, visiting museums, galleries and heritage sites.
Jo Lester is a Customer Service Officer with Buckinghamshire Libraries. She has a life-long fascination with the past, and is particularly interested in social history, both of her own family’s, and more generally.
When we went into Lockdown back in March, Jo made the most of the extra time by picking up the threads of her family history. As part of the team at Buckinghamshire Libraries she knew that her library card gave her access to lots of different online resources: Ancestry, British Library Newspapers courtesy of Gale Publishing, and the Encyclopaedia Britannica. In this podcast she tells the tale of how she was able to learn more about a Suffolk-based branch of her family, using these tools. Warning: Suffolk Punch horses may feature heavily.
Access to the resources discussed, and more, for Buckinghamshire Library holders, here