Since the dawn of ‘reliable’ flight, aviators dreamed of increased range and long-distance travel.

This conference – which will be held at No.4 Hamilton Place, Royal Aeronautical Society Headquarters, London W1J 7BQ on Monday 3rd June 11:45-17:00 – marks aeronautical anniversaries which arise this year: the first non-stop transatlantic flight and the first double crossing of the Atlantic by air (both in 1919) and the first flights of Concorde and the Boeing 747 in 1969. There are also papers on British airliner projects which competed for the transatlantic route, and the ferrying of military aircraft from the USA during the Second World War.

MA in History – From the Local to the Global

Our MA History programme takes an innovative approach to the study of history by connecting the local to the global. Covering the period from 1550 to the present, you will explore the impact of big historical forces on everyday lives.

The programme is offered full time (1 year) and part-time (2 years) and is taught through seminars in the evenings. Assessment is through coursework, culminating in a 15,000-word dissertation on a topic of your choice, supervised by an expert in the field.

MA in Folklore Studies

An exciting new programme is now being offered at the University of Hertfordshire for anyone curious about the traditions we follow, the customs we practice, and the legends we tell.

From this September, the University will be running (both full-time and part-time) the only MA in Folklore Studies in England. It offers students with an Honours degree in a range of related subjects (such as History, English Literature, Anthropology, Archaeology, and Sociology) a thorough grounding in the history of the discipline of Folklore and current work in the field.

This distinctive programme combines breadth with depth of study through wide-ranging but inter-connected modules with a focus on legend, ritual, belief, and tradition in British society.

Students will also explore Folklore in comparative international contexts and consider its global importance as an aspect of UNESCO’s definition of Intangible Cultural Heritage. See the UH courses website for further details.

Contact Professor Owen Davies or Dr Ceri Houlbrook if you have any questions.

The Rectory Lane Cemetery, along with Berkhamsted Town Hall, is a venue for the inaugural BerkoFest Book Festival on 12 May (09.30 – 18.00).

There are some brilliant authors appearing at both locations – for both adults and children – but the Friends of St Peter’s are particularly pleased to host Katharine McMahon, a historical novelist (author of 10 novels, one of which The Rose of Sebastopol was a Richard and Judy Book Club choice).

Katharine will be in conversation with BLHMS’s own Janice Boakes, discussing her passion for featuring strong women in her novels based on accurate historical research.  As well as resonating with our own Remarkable Women buried in the Cemetery, Katharine’s novels are located nearby (The Crimson Rooms in Chesham and The Hour of Separation in Watford), and are set in wartime periods – so lots of common ground with the co-author of BLHMS’s Berkhamsted in WW1.   It should be a great session (15.00 – 15.45 at the Cemetery) – do come along!  Click here for more information.

“… a well edited series of scenes, some from old postcards, some from surviving film, some press reports and some useful animation” (Hertfordshire Genealogy News, 2014).

An updated version will be shown by the Friends of St Peter’s at the Court House Berkhamsted on 13 May 2019 at 8:15pm. Free to members of the Friends, otherwise £5 payable at the door.

Also an opportunity to buy Society books Berkhamsted in WWI and Men of Berkhamsted.

Saturday 18 May – 11.00 am
Pirton Village Hall
45 High Street, Pirton, Hitchin SG5 3PS

This year we will be marking the legacy of Lionel Munby, who died ten years ago at the age of 90. Lionel was one of a generation of local historians who enjoyed sharing the knowledge and skills gained in their academic life with those interested in exploring and recording the story of their own communities.

During the morning session we hope to have a series of short presentations from some of these societies so that we can learn more about their association with Lionel and what they’ve been doing during the intervening years.

Also as part of the morning session we will have a presentation from Hertfordshire’s landscape historian Anne Rowe about her latest book, published by the University of Hertfordshire Press, entitled Tudor and Early Stuart Parks of Hertfordshire.

The afternoon session will commence with the AGM, followed by the Lionel Munby memorial lecture. This year our speaker will be David Short, who will talk to us about ‘The Middling Sorts’ – the people who were mentioned in the overseer’s accounts but who were not ‘the poor’.

Admission is free for HALH members, £2 for visitors.

Summer Visit July 2019

This year’s HALH Summer Visit will take place on the afternoon of Monday 15 July 2019 at Woodhall Park, Watton-at-Stone, where we will be the guests of Ralph and Alexandra Abel Smith. Application form here

Battlefields Trust Annual Conference, Winchester 26-28 April

A  reminder that there is still time to book your place on the Trust’s annual conference at the University of Winchester, 26-28 April. The weekend includes an excellent programme of speakers and activities, a visit to the battlefield of Cheriton, and it’s also a great opportunity to catch up with old friends and make new ones. For further information and to book a place please visit the Trust website here
We hope to see you there!

Wars of the Roses Conference, Glastonbury 1 June

You will also have seen in recent issues of the Trust magazine that on 1 June we will be collaborating with Strode College, Somerset and the Richard III Society Somerset Branch in presenting a Wars of the Roses Conference to be held at Glastonbury Town Hall. Again, there’s an excellent line up of speakers promises to me a memorable day!

Join us for a special Easter event this Bank Holiday weekend and take part in our fun family crafts, Easter trails and activities.

Come and meet the gorgeous spring Oxford Down lambs born at the Museum and explore our traditional Chilterns farm and lambing fold, where you can learn about the lambing traditions of the Victorian Chilterns.

There will also be the option to have a go at some traditional cooking on Sunday 21st and Monday 22nd.

On Saturday 20th April, we will be joined by local chocolate makers Auberge du Chocolat who will be running a special chocolate activity (additional charges apply).

Battlefields Trust event…

Saturday 18th May 2019

The Friends of the National Civil War Centre and the Battlefields Trust present a conference examining the military events of the first part of 1643

The conference will be held at the National Civil War Centre, 14 Appleton Gate, Newark, NG24 1JY on 18 May 2019. Programme and booking details here