There are talks on a wide variety of local history subjects going on all over the county more or less every weekday. During the Covid-19 lockdown period many groups organised on-line talks, and these proved very popular. They have the advantage of being accessible to everyone, wherever you are in the world! In some cases these are continuing; other groups are returning to face-to-face meetings . Talks which we know are happening are listed below. Note that a small charge may be made for non-members to attend (on-line or in person).
For further information, click on the name of the local society in the list below to get to its website. Contact details for societies are here.
For other events and exhibitions see this page.
May 2022
23rd – Marcham – Julie Ann Godson “High Society Scandals in Oxfordshire”. Marcham Centre, Barrow Close, 7:45pm. Also available to view live on-line: e-mail membership@MarchamSociety.org.uk to register.
23rd – Oxfordshire Family History Society – Dave Annal “My Ancestor was a Liar: Ignorance, Half Truths or Wilful Deceit?”. Exeter Hall, Kidlington, 8:00pm.
25th – Dorchester – Keith Parry “Thames Bridges between Reading and Oxford”. Dorchester Abbey,7:30pm.
27th – Bensington – Tom Way “Exciting Wildlife from Around the World”. Benson Parish Hall, 7:30pm.
31st – Kidlington – Karen and Bret Wiles “World War II rationing and cooking for victory: a fair share for all (with demonstrations and tasting samples)”. Baptist Church, High Street, 7:30pm.
June 2022
7th – Henley – Marie-Louise Kerr “Famous Local Folk”. Kings Arms Barn, Kings Road, 7:45pm.
8th – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Clare Mulley “The Women who flew for Hitler”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.
8th – Wallingford – Gabor Thomas “The Marlow warlord and the rediscovered Mercian royal monastery at Cookham: A review of early medieval archaeology of the Middle Thames”. Church of St Mary-le-More, Market Place, 8:00pm.
9th – Didcot – Members’ contributions to “Memories of Silver and Golden Jubilees, and of the Coronation”. Northbourne Centre, Church Street, 7:30pm.
13th – Chalgrove – Alistair Lack “Travels with Auntie: my life as a BBC journalist”. John Hampden Hall, High Street, 7:45pm.
13th – Oxfordshire Family History Society – Wendy Moore “Endell Street: the trailblazing women who ran World War One’s most remarkable military hospital”. On-line talk, 8:00pm (OFHS members only).
13th – Radley – Hubert Zawadzki – “The Land of the White Eagle: The story of Poland”. St James the Great Church, 7:30pm.
14th – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Jon Parshall “The Battle of Midway”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, register by e-mailing zoom@bmmhs.org
20th – Kennington – Simon Wenham “A crystal vision of Victorian Britain: The Great Exhibition of 1851”. Methodist Church, Upper Road, 7:45pm.
21st – Clanfield & Bampton – Robin Shuckburgh “Vines”, followed by AGM. Carter Institute, Main Street, Clanfield, 7:30pm.
27th – Marcham – Virginia Grant “The History of Kingston Bagpuize House”. Marcham Centre, Barrow Close, 7:45pm. Also available to view live on-line: e-mail membership@MarchamSociety.org.uk to register.
27th – Oxfordshire Family History Society – AGM followed by Alan Simpson “From One House to Another”. Exeter Hall, Kidlington, 8:00pm.
28th – Kidlington – Paul Barnett “Purton Ships Graveyard”. Baptist Church, High Street, 7:30pm.
July 2022
5th – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – David Caldwell-Evans “The Finish-Soviet Winter War 1939-40”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, register by e-mailing zoom@bmmhs.org
11th – Oxfordshire Family History Society – Mark Olsen “What’s new in Family Tree Maker: Q&A discussion”. On-line talk, 8:00pm (OFHS members only).
11th – Radley – Tom Crook “The Great Stink! Engineers, sewerage systems and the Victorian battle against dirt”. St James the Great Church, 7:30pm.
12th – Thame – Muriel Pilkington “The Mitsfords”. Thame Barns Centre, Church Road, 7:30pm.
13th – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Mike Tickner “Frontier Ablaze: How the British Army operated on India’s N.W. Frontier in the 1930s”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.
13th – Wallingford – Janice Kinory “Oxford past and present: Images from the Historic Environment Image Resource (HEIR) Project”. Church of St Mary-le-More, Market Place, 8:00pm.
26th – Kidlington – AGM followed Janice Kinory “Salt in Pre-historic and Roman Britain”. Baptist Church, High Street, 7:30pm.
August 2022
8th – Oxfordshire Family History Society – Gay Evans “Annoying ancestors”. On-line talk, 8:00pm (OFHS members only).
September 2022
12th – Oxfordshire Family History Society – Ben Beck “Tracing your Quaker ancestors”. On-line talk, 8:00pm (OFHS members only).
12th – Radley – Tim Healey “Apples! The Myth and Mystery of England’s Favourite Fruit”. St James the Great Church, 7:30pm.
13th – Thame – Paul Barnett “RMS Carpathia’s dash to save a stricken Titanic”. Thame Barns Centre, Church Road, 7:30pm.
14th – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Matthias Strohn “Stalingrad”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.
14th – Wallingford – Giles Pritchard “Conservation work on the remains of the College of St Nicholas, Wallingford Castle”. Church of St Mary-le-More, Market Place, 8:00pm.
15th – Longworth -Martin Syrot-Smith “Daily Life in Tudor Times”. Southmoor Village Hall, 7:30pm.
19th – Goring Gap – Ian Keable “The Century of Deception: Birth of the Hoax in 18th England”. Goring Village Hall, 2:30pm.
19th – Kennington – Mike Hurst “Tracks to the Trenches”. Methodist Church, Upper Road, 7:45pm.
19th – Wheatley – Julie Godson “Scandal in High Society Oxfordshire: selected tales of toffs in trouble”. Merry Bells Village Hall, High Street, 8:00pm.
26th – Oxfordshire Family History Society – Mark Davies “Felons, fellows, and females: the completion of the Oxford Canal”. Exeter Hall, Kidlington, 8:00pm.
28th – Dorchester – John Stevenson “Modern buildings in Oxford”. Dorchester Abbey, 7:30pm.
30th – Bensington – Tim Healey “Apples! The Myth and Mystery of England’s Favourite Fruit”. Benson Parish Hall, 7:30pm.
October 2022
4th – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – John Greenacre “Army Aviation in Northern Ireland”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, register by e-mailing zoom@bmmhs.org
4th – Henley – Alastair Lack “The History of Oxford University”. Kings Arms Barn, Kings Road, 7:45pm.
11th – Thame – Deborah Hayter “The Poor Law in the eighteenth century: the crisis in the parishes”. Thame Barns Centre, Church Road, 7:30pm.
12th – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Nicci Pugh “White Ship – Red Crosses”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.
12th – Wallingford – Michael Fulford “Silchester revealed: the Iron Age and Roman town in light of recent research”. Church of St Mary-le-More, Market Place, 8:00pm.
13th – Hornton – Stephen Wass “William Castle, a Banbury Eccentric”. Hornton Pavilion, Bell Street, 7:30pm.
17th – Goring Gap – Dick Richards “History of Commonwealth War Graves”. Goring Village Hall, 2:30pm.
17th – Kennington – Mike Heaney “The man who collected Oxfordshire: the antiquary Percy Manning”. Methodist Church, Upper Road, 7:45pm.
17th – Wheatley – Mark Davies “Oxford’s Town and Gown: to lick a lord or thrash a cad”. Merry Bells Village Hall, High Street, 8:00pm.
18th – Iffley – Buffy McClelland “A History of Farming in Littlemore 1600 to 1850”. Church Hall, Church Way, 7:30pm. Non-members please contact Paul Butler on mpetipa@ntlworld.com in advance, as places may be limited.
20th – Longworth -Michael Heaney “600 Years of Morris Dancing”. Southmoor Village Hall, 7:30pm.
26th – Dorchester – David Wilkinson “A life in archaeology”. Dorchester Abbey, 7:30pm.
28th – Bensington – David Barber “Swan Upping”. Benson Parish Hall, 7:30pm.
November 2022
1st – Henley – Bill King, subject to be confirmed. Kings Arms Barn, Kings Road, 7:45pm.
8th – Thame – Stephen Barker “Soldiers, Saints and Sinners: Oxfordshire Characters from the British Civil Wars 1642-51”. Thame Barns Centre, Church Road, 7:30pm.
9th – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Geoff Simpson “Who Were The Few?” Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.
9th – Wallingford – Simon Wenham “Poverty, pestilence and public health in the Victorian period”. Church of St Mary-le-More, Market Place, 8:00pm.
10th – Hornton – Keith Westcott “Broughton Castle Roman Villa”. Hornton Pavilion, Bell Street, 7:30pm.
14th – Oxfordshire Family History Society – Ian Waller “Quarter Session Records”. On-line talk, 8:00pm (OFHS members only).
14th – Weston on the Green – Simon Wenham “The Great Exhibition”. Village Hall, 7:30pm.
15th – Iffley – Tim Porter “The Medieval Forest”. Church Hall, Church Way, 7:30pm. Non-members please contact Paul Butler on mpetipa@ntlworld.com in advance, as places may be limited.
17th – Longworth -Richard Dudding “Radley Wood”. Southmoor Village Hall, 7:30pm.
21st – Goring Gap – Nicola Tallis “Uncrowned Queen – Margaret Beaufort”. Goring Village Hall, 2:30pm.
21st – Kennington – Bill King “Yesterday’s runways: airfields of Oxfordshire”. Methodist Church, Upper Road, 7:45pm.
23rd – Dorchester –Malcolm Airs “Upstairs to bed: post-medieval houses in Dorchester on Thames”. Dorchester Abbey, 7:30pm.
28th – Wheatley – Simon Wenham “Morris Motopolis: the motor works and transformation of Oxford”. Merry Bells Village Hall, High Street, 8:00pm.
December 2022
2nd – Bensington – Mark Lewis “Christmas Customs”. Benson Parish Hall, 7:30pm.
6th – Henley – Gabor Thomas “Excavation of the Anglo-Saxon Monastery in Cookham”. Kings Arms Barn, Kings Road, 7:45pm.
14th – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Peter Hore “The Battle of the River Plate”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.
19th – Goring Gap – MA Seaborne “The Curious Occurrence of Mumming”. Goring Village Hall, 2:30pm.
19th – Kennington – Ian Giles “Christmas music and song through the Ages”. Methodist Church, Upper Road, 7:45pm.
20th – Iffley – Liz Woolley “A History of Rose Hill”. Church Hall, Church Way, 7:30pm. Non-members please contact Paul Butler on mpetipa@ntlworld.com in advance, as places may be limited.
January 2023
16th – Goring Gap – Marie-Louise Kerr “The Two William Morrises of Oxfordshire”. Goring Village Hall, 2:30pm.
February 2023
20th – Goring Gap – Graham Twemlow “Your King and Country Need You: Propaganda Posters of WW1 and WW2”. Goring Village Hall, 2:30pm.
March 2023
20th – Goring Gap – Mike Cooper “The Abbey and the Castle: Reading in the Middle Ages or What did Reading ever do for us? ”. Goring Village Hall, 2:30pm.
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