Welton History Group events

Daventry has a rich history extending back to at least Roman and Anglo Saxon times and has over time been a hot bed of religious revolt, a welcome resting point for weary coach travellers and a key location for wartime communication. Susan Watkins will take us on a virtual walking tour from Iron Age hill fort to 20th century Daventry, a communication beacon for many across the world.

Starting from a list of 20 names, the research now records 142 men and women who have died in action, on operations, through terrorism or on duty since 1945. The talk will discuss how the names were identified, the method and approaches to the research, and who some of these men and women were. 

What do Jane Farr the brewer, teachers Mr Quelch and Mr Bond and the Minors, the Benjamins, the Tolstoy boy and the Governor of Newfoundland all have in common? Answer: they all once lived in Welton! The history of our village is full of surprising stories and this presentation will introduce you to several individuals through whose lives we get an insight not just into Welton’s past but into world history!

Starting with a few fascinating and lesser well-known stories of Welton, we shall explore all those weird and wacky things that make Welton what it is today. Building on the meeting last January, this year we will be making history: capturing the 21^st century voice about our village – what makes it special? How do we want to be remembered? What will the history of 20^th/21^st century in Welton capture? 

Save the Children started in 1919 and has become the largest international children’s charity working in over 100 countries including the UK. But who started it and why? Marilyn Payne looks at how has it grown and developed over time and how it continues to operate today.

What’s for supper mum? How might they respond if you answered with dormouse? Oysters? The carp that has been in the bath for the last two weeks?  Sharn Matthews’ presentation takes us on a quirky tour through food history from apples to zebra, and looks at some of the more unexpected foods that have been eaten – and yes, people in Paris did eat zebra in the 1870s!

The comic monologues of Joan Grenfell give us an insight into social change during the twentieth century, particularly for women.  In her own way, she was a social commentator.This presentation by Jackie Hibbert of some of her work also contains an explanation of some 20^th century social history which led to her skilfully observed monologues; still relevant and funny today.  

78 Derngate was remodelled by Charles Rennie Mackintosh in 1916 for the Northampton model engineer W.J. Bassett-Loake. Shared transport is intended to support those who are interested in finding out more about not just this delightful building but these two extraordinary men. 

Soldiers often turned to humour to alleviate the stress of life in the trenches. Jokes, puns, and satirical songs were a part of the soldiers’ oral culture. Much of the humour was lost on those outside the soldiers’ group, but it resonated with the soldiers and allowed them to cope with the strain of service and combat. Stephen Barker’s talk will be fully illustrated and offers a light-hearted look at one way in which troops tackled the horrors of war