Amelia and the Industrial Age

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February’s lecture was given by Marion Moverley, a Methodist local preacher who has retained strong links with Richmond Methodist Church, such that her talk allowed Marion to renew many old friendships. The talk followed the life of Amelia, whose life, through birth and marriage, connected her with many key aspects of the Industrial Age. Amelia was born into a Quaker family of West Riding textile mill owners and traders. Her second marriage connected her to the Pease family of Darlington, the prominent 19th-century Quaker industrialist dynasty, most famous of whom was Edward Pease, who financed the Stockton and Darlington railway in 1825. Amelia was even connected by marriage to Sir Isaac Pitman, originator of Pitman shorthand. Amelia would have experienced so many major changes in her lifetime, changes that she herself was closely associated with. It was this that made her life story so interesting. Marion’s lecture was extremely well researched and delivered – research that took her all over the country as Amelia herself moved between the West Riding and Darlington, before moving to the south coast. Marion herself is an adult education tutor who gives talks on a wide range of social, local and family history topics around the Yorkshire Dales and Vale of York, as well as having taught adult education courses for the Universities of York and Leeds. As well as Amelia and the Industrial Age, Marion offers a very wide range of talks to groups such as W.I.s, Civic Societies and Local History groups. The full range of her talks can be found by googling Marion’s name.​​​​

 

Raby Castle

 

The 2026 Lecture Programme began with an informative and entertaining talk by a Senior Guide from Raby Castle. Raby, situated near to Staindrop in County Durham, is one of England’s finest castles. Remarkably, it has been privately owned by two families, the Nevilles and the Vanes, since it was first built in the 14th century. The talk touched on the history of the families, for example how Charles Neville was forced to flee into exile in 1569 after supporting the Catholic Rising of the North against Queen Elizabeth I. Lord and Lady Barnard, the current owners of Raby, have sought to maintain and continue to transform Raby since they inherited the seat in 2016. Their new development, ‘The Rising’, highlights their ambitious plans for Raby. The talk also touched on the rooms and the impressive range of objects linked to both families’ heritage. Raby offers a wonderful day out, with the castle, a 5-acre walled garden, a 200- acre deer park and places to eat and shop. As a follow-up to the talk, the Civic Society is organising a group visit to Raby Castle on Thursday 14th May. For more information about Raby Castle, you can visit their website on 

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The Melsonby Hoard.

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On Wednesday, 22nd October, Tom Moore, Professor of Archaeology at Durham University, gave a highly entertaining and informative talk about the Melsonby Hoard, the Iron Age find discovered by a local metal-detectorist near to Stanwick Fort. Professor Moore could barely hide his enthusiasm and amazement at the scale and historical importance of the find, the largest hoard of Iron Age metalwork, horse harnesses, wagons raise money for the conservation  and jewellery yet found in Britain, which has opened up many insights and lines of enquiry into late-Iron Age Britain. Some of the finds were unique, such as the remains of a four-wheel wagon, evidence of which has never been seen before from Iron Age Britain. Two particular details brought out by the Professor were, firstly, that Stanwick was much more than a Hill Fort, but rather a Royal site; secondly, the fact that two hoards had been found on the site, which were contemporary with the Stanwick Hoard, discovered nearby in the 1840's. Hence, the title of his talk was 'The Melsonby Hoards'. A Wikipedia search for the Melsonby Hoard will give access to a video of the hoard by the Yorkshire Museum; a Historic England page on the hoard; Durham University website on the hoard; a Countryfile gallery of images and video from Durham University. A Hoard Conservation Fund has been set up by the Yorkshire Museum:

Cheques: Payable to York Museums & Gallery Trust

BACS Transfer:

Please reference: MHOct25

Account Name: York Museums & Gallery Trust
Account Number: 45152550  Sort Code: 40-47-31

 

During the day, two archaeologists from Durham University, Faye McLean and Henry Morris successfully ran workshops with various year groups at both Richmond School and St Francis Xavier School.

 

Before he began his talk, Professor Moore presented a prize to 11- year- old student George Rowbotham, who was the winner of the Heritage Quiz, organised by the Civic Society as part of the Heritage Open Days in September. Described by his parents as 'History mad', George would have been especially delighted to have received his prize from a university Professor.

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Click here for Pictures of the event.

 

 

Colin Grant                                                                                            Graham Berry

Chairman                                                                                               Lecture Secretary