SANHS Local History Committee
WHAT’S ON 2024
Join us live at the newly refurbished Wyndham Hall or on-line for one of our entertaining local history talks or come on an enjoyable local history walk
If you missed our Zoom talks some are available as recordings just click on the title that interests you
John Page: LOCATING THE BURH IN AXBRIDGE and David Victor: LORD ASHBURTON
Watch David Victor’s webinars on ‘The twin manors of Preston Bowyer‘ and ‘The Turbervilles of Gaulden Manor‘.
After the 2024 AGM members enjoyed a walk along the river Tone and millstream to Longrun and saw the willow cathedral.
On 29 June 2024 Tom Mayberry showed a group of SANHS members around Taunton Castle. Despite a wedding, which prevented a visit to Castle House, and a very noisy event on Castle Green, members were able to see how the Castle had developed over time and enjoyed an exploration of the main rooms. The tour concluded with a pleasant tea break in the sunny courtyard and a talk on the early history of SANHS and its acquisition of the castle. Some members then found time to visit the Dr Who exhibition!
FUTURE EVENTS
Tuesday 24 September 2024 7.30pm
SOMERSET’S MILITIA AND VOLUNTEERS IN THE 19th CENTURY
James Spencer
Join us for one of our enjoyable local history talks at the newly refurbished Wyndham Hall
Venue: Wyndham Hall
Book with SANHS office@sanhs.org by 19 September
Suggested donation £5
Tuesday 8 October 7.30 pm
John Periam of Milverton (1657-1711)
David Victor will speak about John Periam who set up in Milverton a cadet branch of the well-known Periam family of Butleigh. Trained as a lawyer, he was appointed the King’s Steward to the Manor of Milverton. He later purchased the Manors of Bishop’s Lydeard and Ash Priors, becoming the Lord of those Manors.
Venue: Wyndham Hall
Book with SANHS office@sanhs.org by 3 October
Suggested donation £5
21 November 2024 7.30pm
ORATOR HUNT and ILCHESTER GAOL
Tom Mayberry will talk about Hunt’s connection with the prison
Join an on-line webinar for one of our enjoyable local history talks
Venue: on-line
Book with sanhschair@sanhs.org
Suggested donation £5
Date to be confirmed February 2025 7.30pm
AXBRIDGE CHANTRIES
John Page will talk about the Axbridge chantry estate.
Venue: tbc
Book with sanhschair@sanhs.org
Suggested donation £5
Looking ahead to 2025 and beyond can you offer a tour or visit to somewhere of interest perhaps in your own community? If you have any ideas and suggestions then please let us know at office@sanhs.org.
Our Committee
The local history committee is one of the society’s newer committees. However, it was designed to showcase events illustrating the history of Somerset and its unique localities.
Like the society as a whole the committee exist to promote the history of the historic County of Somerset.
We are a small group committed to providing a wide range of talks, walks and other events throughout the year for Society members and the wider community.
What we do
We aim to brighten dull evenings especially in the darker months with talks on a wide variety of topics. Talks are followed by tea and cake, Covid permitting, and the chance to talk to the speaker. In the warmer months we also like to get out on walks and visits to historic corners of Somerset and sometimes further afield. By way of contrast our annual symposia bring together a wide range of people and specialist speakers in a relaxed way to enjoy a day of presentations, exhibitions and food where possible.
Our Events
Recent events have included a symposium on the work of Harold St George Gray, looking at the work of one of the leading 19th-century Somerset archaeologists, and others on sickness and health and Roman Somerset. We have also enjoyed guided visits to Dunster, Minehead, the Royal Naval College at Dartmouth, the SS Great Britain and medieval Exeter. Moreover, we have looked at places, people, events and objects, known and relatively unknown, the good, the bad and the downright ugly! Reports on events appear in the SANHS newsletters.
If you would like to get involved
The committee is always open to new members. If you have an interest in local history and would like to see more events in your area let us know or contact the SANHS office. Also let us know if you have been engaged in some interesting research that you would like to talk about. Perhaps you live in a place of interest you would like to share with other enthusiasts. We are always happy to hear from you.
LOCAL HISTORY NEWS
Our 2019 symposium on “Victorian Architects and Architecture” attracted a wide range of people to hear distinguished speakers like Julian Orbach, Jerry Sampson and John Crockford-Hawley. We also visited the beautiful St. Andrew’s Church, Taunton.
We arranged a 2022 programme full of talks and live events. We had a talk in Castle House in Taunton in March and visited a new museum in Watchet in April. In June a small group enjoyed a guided tour of historic Exeter. Our first post-Covid symposium in May was a successful joint event with the archaeological committee on “Roman Somerset“.
In March 2024 we had our first talk for many years in the Wyndham Hall, which is being renovated
We are planning many talks and outings for 2024–5.
EARLY SANHS EVENTS
Few people today have the leisure for the days of outings enjoyed by the original members of SANHS! The Somerset Archaeological and Natural History was born in Taunton on 26 Sep 1849. Sir Walter Calverley Trevelyan of Nettlecombe took the chair. There was from the start a strong social side to the society. It was formed of the aristocracy, clergy and gentry and their wives as well as professional men.
July 1850
In July 1850 nearly a hundred people met at Nunney to visit the castle before proceeding to the Roman villa at Whatley. There they partook of a cold collation before proceeding to Orchardleigh. Frome members had opened their houses and loaned their carriages to visiting members. ‘So that no visitor incurred any expense in the two days beyond that of going thither and returning’.
The First AGM
In September the AGM was at Wells with talks on the Cathedral as well as the usual reports by the treasurer and others. A further three papers on various subjects were not given as there was insufficient time. The members had been invited to tour the cathedral before dinner. Dinner for 120 was provided at the Judges chambers but up to 60 more had to be turned away. This was still a male dominated society but we are told that many ladies graced the table. Ladies were allowed to join without being approved by ballot as the men had to be. More papers occupied the evening and the following day the bishop’s palace and gardens were visited. Then the members proceeded to Glastonbury abbey and eventually returned home after two days of much gratification and enjoyment!