South Petherton Local History Group
South Petherton Local History Group - PROGRAMME FOR 2013
Meetings are at 7.30pm in the Methodist Hall, Palmer Street,
South Petherton, TA13 5DB.
Annual membership £5 (Sept – May). Visitors £2 on the door
Email: s_petherton_history@hotmail.co.uk
On 23rd January Roger Marsh will talk about “The coming of railways to South Somerset and their development”. Older residents fondly remember the railway station at Martock and its rail link to Yeovil. It closed in the 1960s and was replaced by the A3088 link road. You may be surprised at the number of railways which were proposed for South Somerset – not all were built and many never got further than the drawing board.
On 27th February Sarah Villiers will talk about Somerset Village Schools. Sarah is the author of the recent book ”Village Schooling in Somerset: Learn ‘em Hard”, based on extensive research into school log books, archives and oral history. Our talk will look particularly at what was taught and how teachers managed in rural schools ‘way back when’.
On 27th March Dr Robert Dunning will talk about “Medieval South Petherton”. In writing the Victoria County History for Somerset and Bath and Wells: A Diocesan Celebration, Dr Dunning delved into many local and national archives. He is THE authority on South Petherton’s past. His talk will put what is known about SP into the wider historical context of the early centuries of the last millennium.
On 24th April Joe and Christine King will bring several old and rare maps for us to look at in support of their talk “Somerset Maps”. Come and hear their intriguing story about who commissioned the early maps and what their motives were - Queen Elizabeth I, Lord Burghley (Head of the Secret Service) & others in the following centuries.
On 22nd May the meeting will begin with the Group’s AGM and be followed by ‘Members’ Miscellany’ – short talks by members showing the findings of their local research in S Petherton.
Read about South Petherton’s history in the club’s publications:-
“Explore South Petherton’s Past”- a booklet with walks. £2.50 from The Brewers Arms, Post Office, N&D News and One World
“South Petherton in the Twentieth Century, A Village Album” - book containing residents’ recollections and photos
“South Petherton in the Olden Time” originally written in 1879 by local doctor and historian Hugh Norris. Out of print, but text available on CD, £5