YAHS Events July 2022
Now to events, noting that the first, about the Battle of Marston Moor, it is this coming Saturday, 2nd July. From 10.00 am to 5.00 pm there will be a display at St Helen’s Church, Bilton in Ainsty. There will be a talk at 1.00 pm by the Battlefields Trust about ‘Marston Moor – politics and personalities’ followed by an escorted battlefield walk. In the evening, from 7.30 pm there will be music (tickets £10) from the Ainsty Churches Choir. For all details see attached poster.
In mid July, on Sunday 17th at 2.00 pm, there will be a visit to a Bronze and Iron Age settlement site, in the Greta valley near Bowes; this is organised by the Prehistory Research Section but is open to all YAHS members. The plan is to meet at 1.45pm near the entrance to Bowes Castle and Roman Fort (English Heritage). The excavator, Beverley Still, has requested that people carshare from the meeting place to Plover Hall, which is only a mile or so outside Bowes. Yvonne Luke, the organiser, will provide more details and would welcome offers from people willing to share their cars with others on the day.
The visit is in the afternoon to give people time to get to Bowes and perhaps look around the town, have lunch and visit the Castle and St Giles’ Church. There is a Charles Dickens connection via Nicholas Nickleby apparently – something to explore. Anyone who came on the PRS walk around Queen Cartimandua’s Stanwick a few years ago will be particularly interested to see what Beverley’s excavations are unearthing, as it is thought the Greta valley formed part of her and her ancestors’ tribal kingdom. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanwick_Iron_Age_Fortifications). Those of you who have never seen Stanwick, it is worth the slight detour to Stanwick St John a few miles north of the A66 and only 15 miles from Bowes. Mortimer Wheeler’s excavations (English Heritage https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stanwick-iron-age-fortifications ) are still visible and the site has information panels. As many of you will know, Bowes and Gilmonby were in the North Riding of Yorkshire until 1972. They are now in County Durham.
Very close to Beverley’s excavations the famous Gilmonby hoard was discovered in 1980, dating to c.1000 – 800 BC. https://npvm.archaeologicalpractice.co.uk/objects/05/index.htm
For more details, including a location map, and to let her know that you plan to join the visit, please contact the Prehistory Excursions organiser,Yvonne Luke via ilkleymoor@hotmail.co.uk. (Please note that Yvonne is away at the moment but she will acknowledge messages after the coming weekend.)
Finally, for now, we have also recently received details of forthcoming events from the Local and Family History team at Leeds Central Library – see attached file. See also Local and Family History at www.leeds.gov.uk/libraries
