History Society
Enstone History Society
For the Summer 2025 Edition of the Newsletter, please click here.
Enstone History Society runs a series of events throughout the year. Currently, the membership is around 65, and we are always pleased to welcome new members. I encourage you to bring your friends to our meetings and encourage them to join.
The Society’s financial position remains strong. A summary of the 2024 accounts is as follows:
Income: £1510
Expenditure: £1452
Profit £ 58
Cash at bank + petty cash £1023 (same as 2023)
As you will see, the Society did slightly better than break-even. However, in many cases the costs of reimbursing our speakers are gradually increasing.
Please note that subscriptions are now due for 2025 which have been increased to £20.00 per person. Subscriptions have not been increased for ten years or so and our costs have increased as you will appreciate. If possible, please make a bank transfer directly to the Society’s bank account as follows:
Name: The Enstone History Society
Sort Code: 20 03 84
A/c No: 23443361
Please use your name as the reference.
Alternatively, you can pay by cheque (made payable to The Enstone History Society) or by cash. Any one of the Committee Members will be happy to take your money!
It would be very much appreciated if you would pay your subscription promptly, please.
Please contact either John Pritchard or Julia Boardman if you would like to join. There are six committee members who run the society.
Committee Members:
- John Pritchard – 01608 678175 – email: Chairman
- Anne Francis – 01608 678820 – email: Secretary
- Julia Boardman – 01608 677627 – email: Treasurer
- Carol Geare – Newsletter Editor
- Brian Pennington
- Barbara Shaw
Click here for a link to The Oxfordshire Local History Association (OHLA)
Meetings unless otherwise advised will be at St Kenelm’s church starting at 6.30 for 7pm. Members can bring guests for a payment of £6 which includes a drink and sandwiches.
Programme for 2025:
- 15th January: New Year party at The Manor House, Church Enstone.
- 12th March: Social Climbing in Fifteenth Century England: Virginia Bainbridge
- 9th April: Churchill, Kingham and Sarsden – Current VCH work in West Oxfordshire: Mark Page
- 7th May: The Life of Wilfred Owen, WW1 Poet: Jane Potter
- 18th June: The Great Rollright Shepherd, Richard Widdows, who died in 1910 aged 104: Helen Castle
- 17th July: Traditional picnic at St. Kenelm’s church (no talk).
- 24th September: The History in your Post (early history of the postal service) Simon Townley
- 15th October: Oxfordshire and the Spanish Civil War, 1936-39: Liz Woolley
- 12th November: St. Kenelm’s church records, family histories and old tombstones: Mark Abrey
We look forward to seeing you all at our various events in 2025.
REVIEW OF 2024
A full programme of nine talks and events was implemented in 2024 which ranged from a talk by Simon Randall on The English Civil War in the Cotswolds to Nina Morgan’s talk on the Geology of the Oxford University Museum of Natural History Building to a talk on the history and people of Kiddington by Simon Townley. The Society’s New Year party was celebrated in January and attended by around thirty members and their guests. Our traditional picnic was held in July to commemorate St Kenelm’s Feast Day. All of the Society’s talks and events were reviewed by Carol Geare, our Editor, in various newsletters throughout the year.
We trust that you will keep safe and well in 2025. Thank you for your support in 2024 and we look forward to your continued support of the Society during the coming year.
John Pritchard, Chairman
February 2025