Regular Meetings
We usually hold 10 meetings a year, including our Annual General Meeting which is always held in February. These meetings generally take place on the evening of the third Thursday of the month in February, March, April, May, June, July, September, October, November and December.
All meetings take place in the Catholic Church Hall, Martin Street, SO32 1DN at 7.30pm and we look forward to seeing you there. If any changes to these arrangements are necessary, we will make this clear on the Home page and we will inform our members by email.
The meetings usually take the form of a talk that lasts around 40-45 minutes. The talks themselves cover a range of subjects that are likely both to interest and inform our members (see current programme below).
We are happy to welcome guests to our meetings, particularly anyone who may be interested in joining the Society. The subscription is just £10.00 a year for single members and £16.00 for joint membership. If you would like to join the Society please join via this page or contact either our Treasurer Keith Fry at treasurer@bishopswalthamsociety.org.uk or our Secretary Eileen Rainey at secretary@bishopswalthamsociety.org.uk - we will be delighted to welcome you!
16 March 2023 - The Stephen and Matilda Wars
A talk by Donald Bryan, a lecturer in history and archaeology and Blue Badge Guide. He will describe the civil war that raged across England for 15 years from 1139-1153. During it a castle was built in Bishop’s Waltham by Henry of Blois [see October's talk].
20 April 2023 - "Reduce - Reuse - Recycle"
An informative talk by a member of Hampshire County Council's Waste Prevention Team to help us all reduce waste, save ourselves money and save the planet!
18 May 2023 - Winchester from the Iron Age to 1100 AD
Andrew Negus, who has given us a wonderful series of talks on the history of Portsmouth, starts a new series about Winchester’s history starting at the beginning.
15 June 2023 - Saxon Detectives
Society member Dr Lyndon Palmer will cover the ‘detective work’, particularly in recent years, of archaeologists excavating Saxon sites and metal detectorists finding Saxon treasure. Their work tests the story hitherto accepted by scholars in early medieval documents such as Bede in his “history of the English speaking people” and later Anglo-Saxon chronicles.
20 July 2023 - The Infamous Ford Grey, Earl of Tankerville
Dr Bob France returns with a talk about the man who built Uppark. A story full of adventure, domestic scandal, politics, intrigue and rebellion and three narrow escapes from the executioner’s axe! Yet he ended up as Lord Privy Seal…
August 2023 - No meeting
21 September 2023 - The Venerable Bede
A Northumbrian monk, Bede was one of the greatest teachers and writers of the Early Middle Ages and is considered by many historians to be the most important European scholar during the period 600-800 AD. Duncan Colin Jones will talk about his life and work.
19 October 2023 - Who was Henry of Blois?
Our former chairman, Tony Kippenberger, will talk about the 12th century Bishop of Winchester who was a grandson of William the Conqueror, the brother of King Stephen and Lord of the Manor of Waltham. He built the first Palace here, and a new church on the current site and may have laid out the town. Our histories are intertwined.
16 November 2023 - Farmer’s Field to Fruit and Flowers
A talk by retired Bishop’s Waltham vet Gillian Taylor about her experiences, over the years, in turning a farmer’s field in France into beautiful garden with roses, flowers, fruit bushes and trees. Making a dream come true!
21 December 2023 - The Society’s Christmas Party
Our own Christmas Party – members and guests only. More detail to follow nearer the time...