Glendale Local History Society

"Keeping the Past Alive"

Glendale Historical Scenes and Places: 19C Bondagers at Kilham; Neolithic Rock Art on Weetwood Moor; 15C Marble Tomb at Chillingham Church; Coupland Castle 16C Pele Tower; Kirknewton Magi; WWII Airmen's Memorial in College Valley

What is the Society about?
The Society exists to bring together people with an interest in history (and the impact of history on today’s life), especially that of North Northumberland and the Scottish Borders, although our speakers do on occasion range over a wider area.

The Society has been involved in projects such as the successful publications “Wooler at War” and "Bondagers", and, it has played a major role in the restoration of the Wooler War Memorial. The Society's project on the Women's Land Army in Wooler has recently culminated in the launch of a comprehensive set of Interpretative Panels at the Wooler Youth Hostel (see below). The Society has also created a small library, which is now in the process of being reorganised to make it more accessible to members.

Where and when are Meetings held?
Meetings are held from September to April, normally on the second Wednesday of the month at 7.30pm at the Cheviot Centre at Padgepool Place in Wooler, finishing by around 9pm.

The Society also holds an Annual Dinner for members and their guests at a venue in the Wooler area.

How Do I Join?
Just come along to a meeting and pay at the door. Membership is only £8 for the entire season (the Dinner is of course additional!), with Visitors welcome at £2 per meeting.

Announcements

If you like cycling and you like visiting Glendale's heritage, why not combine the two by joining in the Glendale Heritage ride led by GLHS treasurer, Kevin Malloy, on Saturday 24 July. For full details click on the following link Glendale Heritage Ride.

Click here to go to other Current Announcements & Posters

Reports and Newsletters

The newsletter for the forthcoming 2010/11 season will be issued in August.

If you wish to read the New Year 2010 newsletter or the pre-season newsletter for the last (2009/10) season please click on the following links

GLHS Newsletter New Year 2010.

GLHS Newsletter 2009-10

GLHS Programme 2010

To read reports on the last talk or field trip click on its title below:

Publications

The Dating of the Magi Carving at Kirknewton

Front Cover of Kirknewton Magi Booklet

To commemorate the first anniversary of the passing of our greatly missed chairman and friend, Roy Humphrey, the Glendale Local History Society has published a booklet (December 2009) featuring one of Roy's greatest passions - The Magi Carving at St Gregory's, Kirknewton. The booklet contains a reprint of the text of his very readable and succinct article dealing with the controversy over the dating of the carving which was first published in The Border Archaeological Society's BAS Bulletin in 2000.

Roy presents the evidence that the carving was as early as Saxon in defiance of an influential Victorian "expert" who dismissed it as 13th century. We have enhanced the original article by including high quality colour images of items to which Roy refers in his argument. Dr Malcolm Aylett has been kind enough to provide a short foreword to the booklet.

This reprint of Roy's essay was published (to a very high quality) just before Christmas 2009. The booklet is on sale at Brands in Wooler at £1.95 but the committee has decided that the Society will make one copy available free to each member household - members may collect their free copy at one of the future GLHS talks. Members may buy further copies from GLHS for £1.95. The booklet is available by mail order for £2.40 including p&p - cheques which must accompany orders should be payable to Glendale Local History Society. See Contact Information at the top of this page for the address for mail orders.

Bondagers

Click on the following link to read the press release on this book which was published in June 2008.

"Bondagers. The History of Women Farmworkers in Northumberland and South-East Scotland" by Dinah Iredale

Click on book review of Bondagers to see a review of Bondagers which has been published in the Spring 2009 issue of the academic journal "Local Population Studies". Reviewer was Dr Nicola Verdon, Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Sussex. Dr Verdon is a recognised authority on the economic and social history of the British countryside in the 19th and 20th centuries, with a particular focus on gender and the workforce, the family economy and the farm family.

Women's Land Army Project

Rosemary Bell addresses the ladies of the Women's Land Army at the launching of the Interpretaive Displays at Wooler Youth Hostel

Click here to read more about the Women's Land Army Project and to download the display images.