research database

Projects with topic History

There are now 276 projects under the topic History.

Click on ID for more information on a project.

IDDescription
73Changes in Andover 1945-2000
74English St in Armagh
76Researching six mills in Ashfield area
81Object based research project, Bangor
83Interviewing local people to develop website on history of Wickford. Pages relate to road transport, railways , schools and WW2 bombs.
84Researching objects in museum, Bath
85Surveying cemetery chapels in Bath area
87Catalogue & organise historic artefacts. at Branston
88Brecon men killed in WW1, from war memorial, by U3A Family History Group
92Researching history of mediaeval port of Fordwich for display boards in new Visitors Centre
96The Earl Bishop Hervey and the north coast of Northern Ireland
97Stories of people who founded Chelmsford Museum
102Researching the lives of 98 men on war memorials in Amersham
103Researching 1843 riots
106Working with primary school children in Cupar on WW2 memories
108Lost letter experiment by U3A Psychology Group
109Research into names on village war memorials, W.Midlands
110Biographies of owners of Lacock Abbey
111History of 15th century cruck house, Devizes
114Follies, grottos & crinklecrankle walls in Norfolk and Suffolk by U3A Architectural Group
115History of Pippbrook House, Surrey, a mansion in danger of demolition
116History of Eyemouth
117Accessing Ancient Dunwich
119Study of only surviving WW1 airfield at Stow Maries, Essex
124Remiscences about the WW2 and 1950s, Flintshire
126Research on tithe maps for Flintshire from 1836
128Researching former Fairford Gas Works
131Life and Times of Hayling Island 1914-1919
135History of 200 servicemen who went to war from the Holmes Chapel area - project by U3A Local History Group
137Industrial revolution, effect on locality of Ilkley
138Interviews about memories of Kirkby in 1940s, 50s and 60s, before Kirkby became a New Town. Photography and art groups researched old images of Kirkby and new paintings were produced.
141Convict transportation, links with Lancaster by U3A Local Research Group
142Transcribing early Port of Lancaster documents & account books by U3A Local Research Group
145Restoration of exhibits & displays & transcription of wills etc at Lawrence House, Launceston
151Creating inventory of archived material, Leigh on Sea, Essex and of contents of museum and fisherman's cottage by U3A Local History Groups
157Changing face of Barnet High Street
158History of Rangers House, Blackheath, its architecture and room layout and its occupants from 1700 as well as history of the Rangers of Greenwich Park
159Stories of American GIs based at Hall Place, Bexley in 1944 (Station Y in Operation Ultra)
161WW1, various topics
162Researching St Katherine's Dock, food in war time, pleasure travel on Thames & Sainsbury Archive
178Members of group each chose a museum object, researched it and gave a talk on it - at the British Museum
179Evaluating 'Enlightenment' & 'Living & Dying' galleries at BM
180Working with interpretation team at BM to identify 'Gateway' artefacts and discover if the item is correctly placed and labelled for visitors by interviewing 50 people using a questionnaire
181Materials and Motives, 100BC to 100AD - description of objects from India, Africa, the Americas, China, the Middle East and Europe
182Handling collection at BM
183Evaluating two Museum galleries: The Enlightenment Gallery & Living & Dying Gallery
185Cataloguing articles in Post Office house magazine
186Hidden heroes of the postal service
187Documenting photographs 1930-60 at Postal Museum
188To research sporting history of individuals and groups associated with Post Office or Royal Mail
189Archives of the Brothers of Charterhouse Almshouses
190The lives of past Brothers at Charterhouse from the 17th and 18th century. Spanning a range of professions, from florists to lieutenants, the Charterhouse has admitted a striking list of intriguing personalities.
19817th-century merchant's house in Hampstead - project will research the history of 4 connoisseurs who donated their collections of ceramics, musical instruments and pictures to the house
199Where did all the foundlings go? - tracing destinations of children from the Foundling Hospital, London
200Study of apprenticeship records of Foundlings 1751-62 - London
201Research into musical education & future army careers of Foundling boys
203Life of a Victorian governess, Geffrye Museum, Shoreditch
204The presence of black people in London 1750-1950. Research to look at contribution of black Londoners to the professions, the arts, sport, trade and in service.
205Finding lost Londoners, black & Asian, 16-19C
208Work of the Horniman Museum's curators over 150 years - Dulwich, SE London
212Social history of objects at Imperial War Museum, using the resources of the museum to find the relevant stories
216Study of Hampstead, local people & their trades at time of Keats and are any of them still operating, which families lived there, are any of their descendats still there, what houses were built in 1818?
217Staff & students on Kings College London war memorials
221Looking at lives of Victorian staff at Kings College London to contribute to a database, including the father of D.G.Rosetti, a cousin of Virginia Woolf and an archdeacon alleged to be Jack the Ripper.
232Intergenerational memory project working with children to promote understanding of WW2
242Lost stories of those directly affected by the Battle of Jutland, to be used as the core of the National Maritime Museum exhibition narrative.
244Surbiton in WW1 & Hillcroft College
246Lives of conscientious objectors in London, WW1
247To research some of the forgotten stories of Conscientious Objectors (COs) in WW1
256Philatelic exhibition medals from 1897. This was a project to understand and document the 800 medals held by the RPSL, including what the medals were awarded for, their historical context and even what they were made from.
263Research into frost fairs held on Thames in 1680s, to provide background for a Fair, based on 17th century ice fairs, on terrace of Somerset House at Christmas 2005.
264Research to provide an archive about Somerset House, from images and information in other institutions
272Logging & photographing graves & researching family histories at Margravine Cemetery
274Research on Surbiton citizens as soldiers, auxiliary workers & COs in WW1, also women doing war work
275Residents of Normansfield 1868-1997
276History of Earlswood, Surrey & other local asylums
277History of Normansfield’s buildings & development of site from 1868. Create site maps, timeline with photographs, research in archives and talk to local residents.
281Famous people from the past who lived in SW London
282Hillcroft College in WW1
283Role of Battersea Town Hall in WW1
284Good Neighbours - unsung heroes of Battersea
285Investigating memories of evacuees in WW2 - intergenerational project in Battersea schools
286Oral history of Wellworthy's, Lymington - the main employer in the town from 1919 to 1989 - manufacturer of piston rings. Study was mainly oral history.
287History of French soldiers in Lymington
291Stories of men from Sussex villages who fell in WW1 and families left behind
293History of Minehead hospital
294Object research at Minehead museum
295To restore Old Hospital a Victorian building in Minehead, Somerset
300Ireland in Tudor Times - Bagenal's Castle and the Flight of the Earls
301Wartime memories, especially German POWs and Gibralarian refugees.
303Researching original and replica objects from WW2 in a Newcasle museum, including newspapers, medals, ration books, blackout curtains & an ARP helmet
306Causes and effects of WW1 battles, conditions and social history, by Northampton U3A World War 1 Group
308Reminiscence, N.Ireland
310Vere Foster - Philanthropist, Education in Ireland
312Under-appreciated Irish women in history
313WW2 memoirs, Belfast
322Roman Beau St Hoard, Bath
323Oral history of 4 schools in Nuneaton
324Archiving with Oban Museum
325House to Mouse; a history of shopping in Perth from Middle Ages to present
327Researching people of Peterborough - famous, infamous and interesting people from the town's history
329Researching who is buried at Ford Park, Plymouth
334Museum items for world ethnic events, Plymouth
342Compilation of WW2 memories
343Lives of 8 men on Pentrefelin War Memorial
344The Impact on the People of Portsmouth of the Battle of Jutland by Portsdown U3A's Jutland Research group and Local History and Genealogy groups.
345400 biographies based on war memorials, researched by Radcliffe's Local Research Project Group. Includes wartime letters, details of deaths and life in wartime Radcliffe.
346Researching war memorial, Ramsay
349Surrey in Great War
350WW1 Surrey graves project
351Changing Places; one building, 1000 years - story of Green Howards Museum & Trinity Church Richmond
363Role of horses in WW1
367Effect of local gentry on the community, Lancashire
369Victorian letters of Juliana Stuart King, Leigh on Sea, Essex. From rector's wife to her son in Grimsby, describing life in a fishing village and the exploits of their family in the wider world.
374Changes to the town centre of Stanford-le-Hope from 1950, including shops, industry, financial services, pubs, churches, transport and entertainment, by U3A Local Research Projects Group
375Home front in Stoke during WW1, researched by U3A WW1 History Group
376Impact of industrial revolution in Suffolk
377Celebrating the South Downs - lost villages, geology, bonfires, stained glass, paintings & photography
379Swansea markets 1194-1900
3812 year project to research & map Berks & S.Oxon pathways, drove roads and toll roads
383Thames Riverside Project is a mix of walks of different lengths, focusing on industrial history, wildlife, the arts and photography
384Listening Bench Oral History Project
386Fishing trade between Teignmouth and Newfoundland 16-19th century
388Members of Trowbridge U3A are to help museum staff raise the profile of the important history of West of England cloth, as woven in the County Town. This will feed into plans to move and expand the museum, creating a centre of excellence for the study of the woollen cloth industry as well as a fun venue for local history displays and activities.
391Local church building's Statement of Significance describing its history & function, Upholland, Lancs
392WW1 Parcels for POWs, Warrington, researched by U3A Family History Group. We transcribed onto two databases the entries in six ledgers, found in Warrington Museum Archives, detailing the sending of bread, tobacco, and food parcels to soldiers from the South Lancashire Regiment held in Germany as Prisoners of War towards the end of World War 1. The parcels were sent out by the local Regimental Care Committee under the auspices of the Red Cross, and paid for by public subscriptions and sponsorship. We carried out much research into the contents of the parcels, conditions in the camps, the fund-raising events organised in the town, the identity of the sponsors (whose details formed the substance of the second database). The research was then given as a presentation to the Family History Group and compiled into a printed booklet, copies of which were given to the Museum, the Regimental Museum, and Warrington U3A, and were bought by some members of the group.
394Identify site of Roman villa, mediaeval village & ancient hedges at Lytes Cary
395Researching lives of 100 Wem residents from WW1 - Shropshire, by U3A Family History Group
396Residents of Wessington killed WW1 from the Harraton War Memorial, by the U3A War Memorials Group
397War graves project, Wetherby, Yorks
402To produce Gazetteer of Education 1770-1830, Wokingham, Berks
414Uncovering the History of the Kingston Hill Campus and the centenary of Gypsy Hill Teacher Training College
419Local worthies and their influence on the community in south Lancashire
366How the gentry affected lives of families in S.Lancashire
424Pictorial history of Cheddar through photographs and images, collected by the Cheddar Valley History Group
425A study of the history of Great Baddow through oral history
430A tapestry made by U3A members to commemorate the millennium in Market Harborough
433Community history of Cranleigh in 19th and 20th centuries - topics include communications, families, the hospital, school and High St.
436Set of articles about Market Drayton in 19th century by U3A Local History Group - topics chosen by participants
439Research into names on war memorial at Market Drayton, by U3A Local History Group
441Research on saints of the Fife region of Scotland by U3A Local History Group
444Series of publications on the history of York - see list of titles in Output
445Memories of WW2
446Recollections of VE Day by U3A Lifelong Learning Group
447Entertainment and Leisure in Minehead's Past', working with Minehead Museum
451Study of the loss of lifeboat George Elmy and her crew at Seaham in 1962, as well as the fishing boat she had gone to rescue
454Research on names of common soldiers who fought at Battle of Flodden, 1513, in order to compare the effect on small communities with that of WW1
462Chew Valley U3A history group have put their own life histories in the context of national events
468Study of the period between death of Oliver Cromwell in 1658 and the restoration of the monarchy in 1660
316Crewe & Nantwich Local History Group studied their town by working back in time from the present day to build up a chart of the area. Members researched in libraries, museums and archives and on the internet.
472Evesham's Local History Group studied English place names, their origins, development and interretation and what they tell us about the language left by five invasions of these islands.
476North London's Architecture Group looked at The Shape of London, specifically at typology (the study of the evolution of a particular built form). The main focus of the study was theatre buildings.
478Barnet's Family History Group took on the challenge of researching a genuine but unknown marriage certificate (bought at an antique fair) and used it as a case study to build up a history of the two families involved. This provided basic research knowledge for members to use when tracing their own ancestors.
504Blandford's Local History Group researched the period up tp WW1 and presented the results to Blandford Museum
513Camberley 's Family History group researched the names on the memorial stones of those killed in WW1 from St George's, Camberley, now demolished
520The Thames Discovery Programme is a community archaeology project, training and supporting volunteers to record and monitor archaeology on the Thames foreshore. A recent grant from the City Bridge Trust is for a new project to engage older Londoners, particularly people aged over 75, in the archaeology of the Thames foreshore.
184Groups at East Lothian have studied the damage to St.Mary's Kirk, at Haddington during the Scots-English conflict of the 1540s.
523East Lothian's history group has helped with the recording and mapping of graveyards at Garvald, Morham, Tranent and Pencaitland.
524Surveying and investigating lookouts from the Napoleonic War and the two World Wars on top of North Berwick Law.
525Study of Haddington's churches
528Wokingham Local History Group have produced a history of the town from 1851, based on census data
529Study of the Fair Maid's House in Perth (linked to Walter Scott's novel) which is claimed to be the oldest secular building in the city
540Lichfield's Local History Group has produced five studies of the city's history, working over several years.
542Bookham's Military History group have located and researched material on WW2 in Great and Little Bookham
547Citizens; 800 years in the making. Exploring the history of liberty, protest, power and rebellion from Magna Carta to the suffragettes and beyond. The aim is to highlight local heroes and heroines and local struggles for our rights and liberty.
550The life and times of George Croydon Marks, a Victorian engineer who designed and built cliff railways and founded a patent agency still running today. He was also president of the Sunday School Union and a director of EMI and Columbia pictures, through his friendship with Thomas Edison. He was one of the first Labour peers appointed by Ramsay MacDonald.
551The Bible and the Rise of Modern Science – there was a crucial shift in the worldview of northern Europe, partly brought about by the work of 16th century humanists. They brought a study of 1st century classical texts to the translation of the Bible into European languages. They promoted a shift in authority in matters of religion. The invention of printing spread these ideas and sparked the Protestant Reformation. This, in turn, facilitated a shift in science from trust in ancient authorities to trust in the experimental method. I particularly looked at the effect on the rise of science in Britain by the translation of the Bible into English.
562Wokingham's Walks into History group researched local history and shared their research by walking the routes to see the features, such as the sites of past ferries and how Shiplake grew with the arrival of the railway.
561Celebration of the 175th anniversary of the opening of Cirencester station and its branch line, in use from 1841 to 1965.
563The Reminiscence group have produced a number of small booklets about Life and Work in Brightlingsea, with more to follow. They have interviewed many mostly older people about their life and work, which has produced an insight into the life of the town as it used to be.
573Literary journey through the history, collective memory and new imaginings of some of the most atmospheric locations in Sheffield
575Researching the history of Kingston Hill Campus with reference to centenary of Gipsy Hill College in 2017
390The object of Tynedale's Hadrian's Wall Group is to researsh, visit and walk Hadrian's Wall including sites North and South of the Wall and to prepare guides for our website
579History of local shops and shopping in south west London
581Maps and More
584The U3A and The Royal Philatelic Society London (RPSL) are instigating a Shared Learning Project (SLP) to produce a virtual tour of items from the Society's Museum and Archive that are not normally on permanent display. The aim is to make a range of interesting and important items available on the internet through appropriate visual images and audio descriptions. It will be possible to take a 'guided tour' through the items, creating an on line virtual museum that will greatly increase awareness and knowledge of items in the collection.
588The Sun Street Story is about a street in Lewes, East Sussex which has bee researched by Lewes U3A History Group.
589Members of the Bearsden & Milngavie Genealogy group researched the lives of five young men who had connections with Bearsden and died in the Battle of the Somme.
590Newmarket U3A's History group has investigated the history of the nearby village of Chippenham, which originated in the bronze age, once had a preceptory caring for wounded crusaders and includes Chippenham Park, a large estate created by a sugar plantation owner.
591Five U3As known as CHaTTR U3As, in the Thames Valley network, have researched the River Thame, a tributary of the Thames. Many different groups looked at historic buildings, footpaths and walks, the flora and fauna and the geology while others produced photographs, paintings, poetry and a banner.
596Research into the site of what was once a country house, known as the Hall, using contemporary maps and the 1851 and 1901 censuses.
597The Local History group at Kingsbridge Estuary U3A has researched street names and created a Town Trail and a Passageways Trail, which are based on the mediaeval burgage system.
598Halstead U3A's 21st Century group tries to preserve the past for the future. They are working to conserve air raid shelters erected by Courtaulds for their workers.
599The Local Studies group of Jersey U3A have researched health facilities, the development of St Helier, island planning processes, the history of the port area, a survey of manufacturing and the census returns and BMD registrations for a small rural village.
600Members of Lichfield U3A's Local History group have researched important characters from the city's histroy. They include Dr.Johnson, Elias Ashmole, David Garrick, Erasmus Darwin and George Gilbert Scott.
593Research by the Radcliffe U3A Archaeology group, including five test pits, a parish hedgerow survey and the historic layout of gardens and orchards.
594The Local History and Archaeology group of Wigtownshire U3A has been involved in projects led by various universities, including geo-physics investigations and the excavation of a crannog.
595The Roman Project group at Burton on Trent U3A has investigated a stretch of Roman road running from Gloucester to Derby which goes through Burton. The members were able to confirm through excavation that a raised area known as an agger was a Roman road.
602Conserving and recording of coins from Roman hoard
603Maritime History of Minehead
607National Holocaust Centre Notttinghamshire Study Day
608History of women's war work by analysing films and magazines
612To explore the ways in which museum visitors ‘receive’ an exhibition or permanent display, which is crucial to the development of optimum museum provisions for all. The project will take place at the Museum of London.
614Talking about Technology - web-based presentations telling the story of a particular technological process from the point of view of those living or working with it. The teams were taught interview techniques.
631A revolution in shipbuilding technology took place in the 1800s, from wooden, sail-powered ships to metal-hulled steam-powered vessels. At the same time, the London shipbuilding industry moved from being on the south bank of the river to the north bank. Why were some companies able to transition to the new technologies when others were not?
640Redditch U3A's photography group collaborated with Redditch History Society to chronicle the visual history of the town's evolution from agriculture to industry.
656The Story of the Chariot; we consider the geography of the Steppes, the materials and technologies involved in the development of the wheel and of weapon systems and the domestication of the horse, to trace the rapid rise of the chariot to its role as the dominant military machine, across Eurasia, for more than 1000 years, then its descent into its now familiar role as sporting vehicle and status symbol.
674The Hanse Festival commemorates the town's historic economic links with northern European ports. Kings Lynn U3A took part in a shared learning project, researching exports and imports in 18th and 19th centuries.
678Locating the lost histories of the City of London in the late 17th century through the Restoration Hearth Tax and other historical sources. The Hearth Tax provides evidence of who lived in every property, its taxable wealth and location. Volunteers will be provided with core hearth tax data which will be used as a basis from which to explore the early modern history of the area and the lives of the local people.
679Locating the lost histories of south east London in the late 17th century through the Restoration Hearth Tax and other historical sources. The Hearth Tax provides evidence of who lived in every property, its taxable wealth and location. Volunteers will be provided with core hearth tax data which will be used as a basis from which to explore the early modern history of the area and the lives of the local people..
680Locating the lost histories of the west midlands in the late 17th century through the Restoration Hearth Tax and other historical sources. The Hearth Tax provides evidence of who lived in every property, its taxable wealth and location. Volunteers will be provided with core hearth tax data which will be used as a basis from which to explore the early modern history of the area and the lives of the local people..
685This project will seek to look into the impact of the Great Plague, the epidemic of bubonic plague which affected London in 1665, on the residents of Charterhouse, and its close neighbour across Smithfield, St Bartholomew’s Hospital.
686Starting in January 2018, members of the U3As of South West London who sign up for this project will identify events and people in London, particularly but not exclusively in South West London, which have contributed to the history of liberty, protest, rebellion and reform. You will be given some ideas for your research and you will find more in local libraries, archives and on the web: the aim is to identify and explore topics which are not well known nationally but were of importance locally.
697Mary Butcher is investigating the link between William Marshal and Caversham Park and Court, especially towards the end of his long and successful life. Marshal, who had served the Plantagenets all his life, is credited with the survival of Magna Carta, taking this failed peace treaty under John and as his son's regent turning it into a last manifesto of good government.
702Dr Peter Borrows is leading a team in Amersham, working with the local museum, exploring the history of the Amersham Martyrs, persecuted for wishing to read the Bible in English during the reign of Henry VIII. In all, about 200 people were implicated in the investigation and five men and one woman were burnt to death.
712Stapleford and District U3A has pioneered a local history research project documenting the names and personal details of every grave in the old part of the town’s Cemetery.  The Shared Learning Project involved around 18 U3A members who spent five months this year transcribing every detail of the headstones in the cemetery which dates back to 1884. This included using different research techniques to fill in the missing details which had been weathered away over time. 
718Faringdon's quilting group presented the mayor with a set of nine panels representing the history and heritage of the town of Faringdon.
724Bexley Armchair Travellers group researches a country or area in advance of each meeting, sharing out the politics, language, landscape, etc between members.
748Spirits of Sussex - Sussex U3A Network (SUN) are working on a special Shared Learning Project during 2018 exploring Sussex ‘s rich tapestry of legends, mixing history with myth. The term ‘spirits’ can be widely interpreted and could include spiritual beliefs, ghostly spectres and brandy smuggling.
750The Year of the Plague,
753The Swing Riots: Maggie Smith is researching protests by farm labourers in the 1830s that started in the Elham Valley, but which eventually spread to the rest of the county and to Sussex, Surrey and Hampshire, and which were a response to the introduction of threshing machines and a reduction in their already low wages.
754Mrs Pankhurst’s Bodyguard: Little is known about Mrs Pankhurst’s Bodyguard which was a fairly secretive organisation and Lesley Griffiths is researching its role, the events in which it participated, and the identity of some of its members.
791A Shared project involving the Friends of the Copperworks and Swansea U3A
766This is an SLP working with St. Nicholas' Cathedral Community History Project and the cathedral's archaeologist and the Sacred Learning Project. Their work is centred around researching some cathedral floor gravestones. Work began in April 2018. THank you
804Caroline Herschel, the Comet Sweeper - often overshadowed by her brother, Sir William Herschel, this remarkable lady had an astronomical career of her own. For years, her brother‘s assistant and support, she was highly respected by the scientific community of the day. This presentation will show how she coped with the restrictions and culture of her day and her ultimate achievements.
806This is a substantial collection of books on the history of science which were displayed at the Science Summer School.
155Banks-Stanhope Papers: Cataloguing
811Stories from the Graveyard; Settle U3A Family History Group is helping Settle Parish Church with a graveyard plan and transcribing the gravestones for posterity. The group has realised the potential and significance of the project is much wider than they imagined and extended to preserving the heritage of their town and church. .
813• To find out more about the Radical Rising of 1820 in Scotland – for our own interest and the interest of Local History Group members. • To contribute to raising the general awareness about the rising, and its bi-centenary in 2020. • To publicise the bi-centenary in the hope that other organisations will also act to commemorate the rising, particularly in Paisley, Glasgow, Greenock, Strathaven and Ayr. • To document and pass on our findings – for example on a website, via pdfs on our Local History Group page, via a U3A workshop to mark the bi-centenary. • To use this research project as a means of facilitating inter-group co-operation and shared learning within different groups in the Glasgow West End U3A, and facilitating co-operation and shared learning across different U3A groups in Scotland (Glasgow, Bearsden & Milngavie, Paisley, Falkirk, Ayr, Lanark, East Renfrewshire and Lenzie), perhaps as a step to creating the first U3A networks in Scotland. • To use this research project as a means of facilitating links between the U3A in Scotland and other bodies such as Universities, Local History Societies and Family History Societies. • To use this research project as a means of establishing and developing the U3A Research Ambassador role in Scotland.
824Hampstead Old Town Hall. Archival and library research into its history, architecture and people.
849Following an insurrection in Canterbury in December 1647, the accused leaders were put on trial in May 1648. However, the Grand Jury refused to indict. The events that followed culminated in the Kentish Rebellion: one of the most significant uprisings of the Second English Civil War.
850The Canterbury Christmas Riots of 1647. In 1647 the celebration of Christmas was declared by Parliament to be a punishable offence. In Canterbury, attempts to enforce this led to discord, rebellion, and violence that erupted in a series of riots. On Wednesday 22nd December 1647 the Canterbury Town Crier declared that Christmas Day would be a normal market day. The mayor ordered the shops to open as usual. However, on Christmas Day one church in the High Street held a service in defiance of Parliament’s decree. The mayor moved in and broke up the service. It was alleged that he beat some of those present, including women and children.
867Four town trails, different themes printed tri-fold leaflets available to the public and on King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council's tourism website.
872The power of petitioning in 17th century England. In collaboration with Birkbeck university we plan to investigate the petitioners and their communities.
873Hampstead Old Town Hall. Archival and library research into its history, architecture and people.
874A partnership between the South London Botanical Institute and London U3As researched details of the SLBI building's history and development.The project also collected and documented oral histories from past botanical experts and staff.
875The team investigated a large collection of bills and receipts from suppliers of goods to Normansfield Hospital from the late19th to early 20th century
876Life in 17th century Charterhouse. An investigation into the lives of ordinary staff in collaboration with the brothers of the charterhouse and the museum volunteers
877575 Wandsworth Road: To look at the history of the house and its interior over 200 years and to document the changes in the local area.
882A sequel to the very successful project on Welsh coast and borders. This one will focus on the 600 castles in Wales and hope that U3As outside of Wales will also engage with project.
883The development of transport in and around Minehead
884Normansfield and the written word: Correspondence and Newspapers. This will include letters between families whose relatives were living at Normansfield and the Langdon Down Family. Reports from newspapers will be investigated.
895On 7th November 2018 a small group of U3A volunteers joined us at Royal Holloway to delve into the British Newspaper Archive to plot reports in March 1913 of 'Suffragette Outrages'. The resulting Google My Map now features in our online course with the UK Parliament, Beyond the Ballot, and will later be added to our resources for schools.
899The story of Thomas Elwood, Tyler & Brickmaker, and underdog… The fifth blog in our series from the work of University of the Third Age members participating in the Shared Learning Project with the British Academy Hearth Tax Project, Centre for Hearth Tax Research, is by Jane Harrington. Using the Hearth Tax returns from the City of London and Middlesex as a starting point, Jane presents the story of one Thomas Elwood.
900The Parish of St Margaret New Fish Street in 1666 - The fourth blog in our series from the work of University of the Third Age members participating in the Shared Learning Project with the British Academy Hearth Tax Project, Centre for Hearth Tax Research, is by Barbara Sanders. Using the hearth tax returns from the City of London and Middlesex as a starting point, Barbara presents an incredibly detailed picture of the intramural parish of St Margaret New Fish Street in 1666.
901The Druggists of Bucklersbury - The third blog in our series from the work of University of the Third Age members participating in the Shared Learning Project with the British Academy Hearth Tax Project, Centre for Hearth Tax Research, is by Peter Cox. Using the hearth tax returns from the City of London and Middlesex as a starting point, Peter investigated the ‘druggists’ of Bucklersbury Street in the City parishes of St Stephen Walbrook and St Benet Sherehog.
902St Botolph Aldersgate: Women Printers and Booksellers in 1666. The second blog in our series from the work of University of the Third Age members participating in the Shared Learning Project with the British Academy Hearth Tax Project, Centre for Hearth Tax Research, is by Lisa Vine. Using the hearth tax returns from the City of London and Middlesex as a starting point, Lisa worked with other documents to trace the stories of women printers and booksellers in 1666.
907The Science of Frankenstein - a look at the novel against the background of the Enlightenment
911Can you read Pitman Shorthand? The GNM Archive, part of the Guardian Foundation charity is asking for help from U3A members who can read Pitman shorthand. The Archive collects, preserves and makes accessible records of the Guardian and Observer newspapers. It has acquired the unique collection of Clyde Sanger, the Guardian’s first Africa correspondent, reporting for the newspaper between 1960 and 1965. Clyde’s papers include around 130 notebooks mostly covering his work in Central, Southern and Eastern Africa. Many are partially written in Pitman shorthand, which the archivists (and most researchers) can't read! U3A members have so much experience and expertise that the archivists hoped to find anyone who might be willing to transcribe the shorthand text.
918The History Group of Spalding and District U3A has been meeting for 7 years and during that time we have studied British History. As many of our members have come to live in the Spalding area from other parts of the country, we wished to learn more about the history of our area. We started a project investigating ‘Medieval Spalding’, 1050 – 1550, 18 months ago in conjuction with Spalding Gentlemen’s Society and Ayscoughfee Hall.
920Workshop for 16 U3As across Yorkshire designed to support group leaders, share ideas and explore methods of learning about history and archaeology. A guest speaker spoke on Learning Styles in History
927The Hearth Tax and and the minister David Barton of St Margaret New Fish Street. This latest blog in our series from the work of University of the Third Age members participating in the Shared Learning Project with the British Academy Hearth Tax Project, Centre for Hearth Tax Research, is by Barbara Sanders. Using the hearth tax returns from the City of London and Middlesex as a starting point, Barbara revealed the life of the minister David Barton, resident in the intramural parish of St Margaret New Fish Street in 1666.
928Thomas Padnall and the ‘Sunne’ inn, St Margaret New Fish Street in 1666. This latest blog in our series from the work of University of the Third Age members participating in the Shared Learning Project with the British Academy Hearth Tax Project, Centre for Hearth Tax Research, is by Barbara Sanders. Using the hearth tax returns from the City of London and Middlesex as a starting point, Barbara reveals the life of Thomas Padnall, resident in the intramural parish of St Margaret New Fish Street in 1666. This builds on her earlier blogs, where the parish itself was detailed and the life of David Barton was revealed.
929The Hearth Tax and a series of lives at All Hallows Staining This latest blog in our series from the work of University of the Third Age members participating in the Shared Learning Project with the British Academy Hearth Tax Project, Centre for Hearth Tax Research, is derived from a series of lives that Joan Hardinges researched at the north-eastern intramural parish of All Hallows Staining. Using the hearth tax returns from the City of London and Middlesex as a starting point, Joan revealed the wider lives of three quite different individuals making the parish home in 1666.
930The Aristocracy of St Botolph’s Aldersgate in 1666 This latest blog in our series from the work of University of the Third Age members participating in the Shared Learning Project with the British Academy Hearth Tax Project, Centre for Hearth Tax Research, is derived from the work of Aelwyn Taylor, Jane Harrington and Lisa Vine. Using the hearth tax returns from the City of London and Middlesex as a starting point, they reveal the lives of the aristocratic residents at the northern suburban parish of St Botolph’s Aldersgate.
931The Parish of St Katherine Coleman in 1666 This blog in our series from the work of University of the Third Age members participating in the Shared Learning Project with the British Academy Hearth Tax Project, Centre for Hearth Tax Research, is derived from the work of Pauline Brown and Maryke Koomans. Using the hearth tax returns from the City of London and Middlesex as a starting point, Pauline and Maryke present a view of the City parish of St Katherine Coleman in 1666.
932Shared Learning Project between South Solihull U3A and Dorridge U3A investigating the history of Middlefield Hospital 1866-1914. Formerly Midland Counties Asylum, Knowle. A booklet has now been published.
934North Down & Ards U3A with Bangor Historical Society in Northern Ireland, are researching the Bangor area side of the Commercial and Industrial history of Ards & North Down Borough Council area.
955Stukeley Memoirs Online Tanscription Project
957Sheffield Oral History project - 12 volunteers from Sheffield U3A met with 70 pupils (age 13/14) from two schools in the Sheffield University History Department. Mini lecture on historical resources. Children asked from history who they would like to interview and what would they ask ? Techniques of interviewing orally. Children in tables of 6 interviewed our volunteers about their life as teenager in the 1960’s. Report back to the room about most interesting facts.
970Between January and June 2018, a shared learning project was run with the University of the Third Age in Greenwich. As with the London and Middlesex SLP, the team was charged with using the hearth tax returns as a starting point and following their interest to reveal stories of Greenwich and the people who lived there in the late seventeenth century. In this post, Michael Zell and Jackie Davies investigate the people that lived in the High Street East and King’s Barn areas of Greenwich.
971Between January and June 2018, a shared learning project was run with the University of the Third Age in Greenwich. As with the London and Middlesex SLP, the team was charged with using the hearth tax returns as a starting point and following their interest to reveal stories of Greenwich and the people who lived there in the late seventeenth century. In this post, Carolyn Heathcote shows continuity in the exempt status of some people living in the Church Wall area of East Greenwich and finds references in the parish registers to people possibly connected with those living in Church Wall (who were listed in the hearth tax return).
972Between January and June 2018, a shared learning project was run with the University of the Third Age in Greenwich. As with the London and Middlesex SLP, the team was charged with using the hearth tax returns as a starting point and following their interest to reveal stories of Greenwich and the people who lived there in the late seventeenth century. Over the next few weeks, we will share their work through the blog. In this post, Michael Zell andHazel Beale introduce the area and the Hearth Tax for Lady Day 1664.
974In Orpington's History group, each member in turn researches their favourite subject and presents it to the monthly meeting. Subjects have included mediaeval buildings, the Ottoman Empire, Alexander the Great and Joan of Arc. Researchers check and co-ordinate their findings from books and produce visual aids where possible.
975Nottingham's History group looked at the origins of language, including the language families of the world, the spread of European languages alongside agriculture, the fate of Celtic languages and modern English as an international language. They researched word origins and loan words and members whose first language was not English contributed interesting comparisons. There were sessions on personal names. place names, writing and the alphabet.
976Lincoln U3A's History group concentrated for several years on the mediaeval period. Each member chose a subject for their own research and shared their findings with the group. Topics included St.Hugh of Avalon, Richard III, Stephen and Matilda, Magna Carta and the Wars of the Roses. The City of Lincoln provided a good hunting ground for visits - including the Cathedral and Castle, The Bishop's Palace, the Jews House and St.Mary's Guildhall. Visits of mediaeval kings to Lincoln and meetings of Parliament in Lincoln Chapter House were topics for group research.
977Lincoln U3A's History group concentrated for several years on the mediaeval period. Each member chose a subject for their own research and shared their findings with the group. Topics included St.Hugh of Avalon, Richard III, Stephen and Matilda, Magna Carta and the Wars of the Roses. The City of Lincoln provided a good hunting ground for visits - including the Cathedral and Castle, The Bishop's Palace, the Jews House and St.Mary's Guildhall. Visits of mediaeval kings to Lincoln and meetings of Parliament in Lincoln Chapter House were topics for group research.
978Article by Jack Yeatman on running a U3A history group, having done that for ten years.
984Members of Reading U3A worked with the Berkshire Industrial Archaeology Group which has restored a water wheel at a silk mill and a horse wheel at a National Trust property, among other projects
995Between January and June 2018, a shared learning project was run with the University of the Third Age in Greenwich. As with the London and Middlesex SLP, the team was charged with using the hearth tax returns as a starting point and following their interest to reveal stories of Greenwich and the people who lived there in the late seventeenth century. In this post, Margaret Gravelle takes us on a journey of the wealthy street of Crooms Hill and the people and properties therein.
1000An oral history project at Great Baddow, Essex, which despite having pre-Domesday roots, has no written history.
1011The project is to transcribe, research and encode the first of Kew Gardens' Register Books ( 1793-1809) in collaboration with the University of Roehampton and Kew Gardens
1012Transcription, indexing and interpreting the minute books of the early umbrella companies of Transport for London
1013To transcribe the pitman shorthand notebooks of Clyde Sanger, the first African correspondent for the Guardian Newspaper in the 1960's
1021People of Warwickshire - Warwick is most famously known to be the seat for one of England’s greatest castles. Warwick castle had been given back to the crown due to the death of the last Dudley in 1590, who did not produce a legitimate male heir. King James I granted the castle to Sir Fulke Greville in 1604, who was from minor gentry family in south-west Warwickshire. He had successfully been a treasurer of the Navy, Chancellor of the Exchequer and Commissioner of the Treasury. Greville unfortunately had to spend £20,000 to restore and adorn the castle, after it fell into a state of disrepair. Before his death in 1628, he was made Baron Brooke in 1621 and his cousin Robert Greville, inherited the castle and estate and served in the Civil War as an English Roundhead General, until his death in 1643.
1022The 1670 Michaelmas hearth tax return is the most complete surviving list as it was the first to be directly collected after the experiment of using tax farmers had collapsed and was administered from the Hearth Tax office in London. It had been subject to two archival studies. During the 1930’s and the 1940’s John Styles created a card index, held in Warwick Record Office, and in 2010 Tom Arkell published the return with an introduction and critical apparatus of people.
1023The 1694 Great Fire destroyed many of the mainly medieval vernacular buildings in the centre of Warwick: timber-framed. These properties were characterised by wattle and daub walls, jettied upper stories, gables and thatched roofs. The materials for these were largely obtained locally due to high transport costs. Timber came from nearby in the river valleys, with more substantial timbers from the oaks of the Forest of Arden nearby, though these were becoming depleted by the demand for fuel by developing industry in Birmingham. The clay, lime and laths for the walls all came from nearby, as did thatching grass. All were highly flammable materials.
1028This research started with the expectation of unearthing great secrets about the small Warwickshire village of Budbrooke, which, dates back to the time of the Domesday book. In 1086 Ralph de Limesi held Budebroc and the church of St Michaels which still stands today. The Victoria County History says that before that the parish was held by Earl Eadwine of Mercia. The village is to west the Warwick and century the manor passed through various hands, until the early seventeenth when it was granted to Sir Robert Dormer, whose family who still own much of the land today, in the manor known as Grove Park. The county of Warwickshire was divided into 4 hundreds, Budbrooke was in the hundred of Barlichway.
1032Transcribing the handwritten Notebooks of HW King, a Victorian Antiquary and using these notes on the old houses of Leigh on Sea, Essex to find those listed in the Restoration Hearth Tax records. To produce a leaflet and a PowerPoint presentation called Lost Leigh.
1034An online research project, about an inclusive online tour of the Chelsea Physic Garden. With Covid-19 impacting on our ability to visit historic gardens in person, we wanted to explore ways to bring the Chelsea Physic Garden to people at home. We have created an inclusive video tour which introduces you to the delights that this unique heritage site has to offer. By taking part in the study, you will provide invaluable feedback to help us, and the Chelsea Physic Garden, understand how to develop engaging and inclusive online tours. Our objective is to develop ways for us all to access and enjoy our cultural heritage at home.
1035The story of Crouch End using pictures from the Hornsey Historical Society (HHS) Archive. A 6 month project involved a small number of members from the Crouch End & District U3A and the HHS, who researched and made a selection from postcards, photographs, prints and drawings in the HHS archive with which to tell a story of Crouch End’s past.
1063Since completing our first major project at Southminster Hall uncovering a previously unknown early medieval stone ‘palace’ built for the Bishops of London, Burnham's Archaeology Group has moved on. Over the winter we were asked by the Heritage and Conservation specialist at Maldon District Council to look for one of the vanished Elizabethan ranges at Creeksea Place, we found the walls and were able to record our findings in the professional way we’ve been trained. We’re going back in the Autumn to look for the staircase!
1085High Street Project: Canterbury u3a is involved in this national u3a project and is recording pictures of Canterbury city centre.
1086Collection of WW2 memories by members of Warrington u3a Family History Group, portraying the roles that their parents and other ancestors carried out, whether military or civilian, but with the emphasis on the many civilian tasks undertaken - eg Home Guard, Air Raid Precautions wardens etc.
1087Their Finest Hour - an online digital archive (funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, based at the University of Oxford) of the everyday stories and objects of the Second World War.
1088Family Photos and Family Histories