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.
August 2022
8th – Oxfordshire Family History Society – Gay Evans “Annoying ancestors”. On-line talk, 8:00pm (OFHS members only).
September 2022
6th – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Paul Knight “The Mesopotamia Campaign in World War One”. On–line talk, 7:30pm; e–mail zoom@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.
6th – Hook Norton – Katherine Bradley “Early women professional gardeners including at Waterperry”. Baptist Church Hall, Netting Street, 7:30pm.
8th – Wootton & Dry Sandford – Liz Woolley “Rose Hill (Oxford), an area of surprising contrasts and great historical interest”. Community Centre, Wootton, 7:30pm.
12th – Chipping Norton – Sean Callery “How did Chippy outgrow Hooky?” Methodist Church Hall, West Street, 2:00pm.
12th – Oxfordshire Family History Society – Ben Beck “Tracing your Quaker ancestors”. On-line talk, 8:00pm (OFHS members only).
12th – Radley – AGM and Sarah Somerville “A guide’s guide: working in historic houses in the 21st century”. 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) – Robin Brodhurst “Dudley Pound and the decision to scatter arctic convoy RQ17”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e–mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.
14th – Stanford in the Vale – Carol Anderson “Over The Hills To Glory: The Story of the Ascott Martyrs”. Village Hall, 7:30pm.
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.
14th – Wychwoods – Mark Bathurst “The Medway Queen”. Milton under Wychwood Village Hall, 7:30pm.
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.
4th – Hook Norton – Liz Woolley “Children’s experiences of WW2 in Oxfordshire”. Baptist Church Hall, Netting Street, 7:30pm.
10th – Chipping Norton – Liz Woolley “Kingerlee, the family and the building firm”. Methodist Church Hall, West Street, 2:00pm.
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 – Stanford in the Vale – Sjoerd Vogt “Tolkein and the Hatford Connection”. Village Hall, 7:30pm.
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.
12th – Wychwoods – Julie Ann Godson “Oxfordshire in the past”. Milton under Wychwood Village Hall, 7:30pm.
13th – Hornton – Stephen Wass “William Castle, a Banbury Eccentric”. Hornton Pavilion, Bell Street, 7:30pm.
13th – Wootton & Dry Sandford – Abigail Lloyd “Stonyborow: Roman place names, landscape and buildings”. Community Centre, Wootton, 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 – Clanfield & Bampton – Roger Vlitos “Gavin Faringdon : Portrait of a Rebel Peer”. Carter Institute, Main Street, Clanfield, 7:30pm.
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 – Deddington – Liz Woolley “Oxfordshire and the Spanish Civil War”. Primary School, 7:30pm.
20th – Longworth -Michael Heaney “600 Years of Morris Dancing”. Southmoor Village Hall, 7:30pm.
24th – Oxfordshire Family History Society – Malcolm Graham “Put That Light Out! Air Raid Precautions and air defences in wartime Oxfordshire”. Exeter Hall, Kidlington, 8:00pm.
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 – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Philip Piper “RAF 273 Squadron”. On–line talk, 7:30pm; e–mail zoom@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.
1st – Henley – Bill King, subject to be confirmed. Kings Arms Barn, Kings Road, 7:45pm.
1st – Hook Norton – Deborah Hayter “Poor Law in the 18th Century”. Baptist Church Hall, Netting Street, 7:30pm.
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 – Stanford in the Vale – Deborah Hayter “The Lost Villages of Oxfordshire”. Village Hall, 7:30pm.
9th – Wallingford – Simon Wenham “Poverty, pestilence and public health in the Victorian period”. Church of St Mary-le-More, Market Place, 8:00pm.
9th – Wychwoods – Tom Shannon “‘Known unto God’: A Great War detective story”. Milton under Wychwood Village Hall, 7:30pm.
10th – Hornton – Keith Westcott “Broughton Castle Roman Villa”. Hornton Pavilion, Bell Street, 7:30pm.
10th – Wootton & Dry Sandford – Karen & Bret Wiles “How the Brownies helped win WW2, including their secret work for MI9”. Community Centre, Wootton, 7:30pm.
14th – Chipping Norton – Alasdair Brown “Black American GIs in Britain and the riot in Hook Norton 1944”. Methodist Church Hall, West Street, 2:00pm.
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 – Clanfield & Bampton – Robin Shuckburgh “The History of the Festival of Saturnalia”. Carter Institute, Main Street, Clanfield, 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 – Deddington – Tom Crook “Corruption, Ceremony and Celebrity; The Honours System”. Primary School, 7:30pm.
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 – Oxfordshire Family History Society – Simon Townley “Chipping Norton: Current work by VCH Oxfordshire”. Exeter Hall, Kidlington, 8:00pm.
28th – Wheatley – Simon Wenham “Morris Motopolis: the motor works and transformation of Oxford”. Merry Bells Village Hall, High Street, 8:00pm.
29th – Oxfordshire Buildings Record – Owen Davies “Building Magic: an examination of the evidence for (and against) the interpretation of marks on buildings as apotropaic (evil-averting).” Rewley House, Wellington Square, Oxford, 5:30pm.
December 2022
2nd – Bensington – Mark Lewis “Christmas Customs”. Benson Parish Hall, 7:30pm.
6th – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Vivian Newman “They Shoot Spies – the untold story of a remarkable female agent in WW1”. On–line talk, 7:30pm; e–mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.
6th – Henley – Gabor Thomas “Excavation of the Anglo-Saxon Monastery in Cookham”. Kings Arms Barn, Kings Road, 7:45pm.
6th – Hook Norton – Bill King “Yesterday’s Runways: Local airfields in WW2”. Baptist Church Hall, Netting Street, 7:30pm.
12th – Chipping Norton – Christopher Norridge “ The Mitford Sisters”. Methodist Church Hall, West Street, 2:00pm.
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.
15th – Deddington – Stephen Barker “The Battle of Cropredy Bridge”. Primary School, 7:30pm.
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
3rd – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Jon Parshall “Pearl Harbor”. On–line talk, 7:30pm; e–mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.
3rd – Hook Norton – Melanie King “Can onions cure earache? Medical advice from the 1700s”. Baptist Church Hall, Netting Street, 7:30pm.
11th – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Guy Walters “Hunting Evil – Tracking down Nazi war criminals”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e–mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.
11th – Stanford in the Vale – Bill King “A Walk Along the Thames Path from near Cirencester to Oxford”. Village Hall, 7:30pm.
11th – Wychwoods – Trevor Jackson “RAF Brize Norton – 80 years of flying operations”. Milton under Wychwood Village Hall, 7:30pm.
12th – Wootton & Dry Sandford – Tom Crook “‘The Great Stink’: Engineers, sewerage systems and the Victorian battle against dirt”. Community Centre, Wootton, 7:30pm.
16th – Goring Gap – Marie-Louise Kerr “The Two William Morrises of Oxfordshire”. Goring Village Hall, 2:30pm.
19th – Deddington – Richard O Smith “Oxford Z-A: 1000 Years of History in 26 Letters”. Primary School, 7:30pm.
February 2023
7th – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Talk tbc. On–line talk, 7:30pm; e–mail zoom@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.
7th – Hook Norton – Robin Darwell-Smith “Port & Prejudice – Life in Georgian Britain”. Baptist Church Hall, Netting Street, 7:30pm.
8th – Stanford in the Vale – Stephen Wass “Cropredy – Developing the Archaeology of a Village”. Village Hall, 7:30pm.
8th – Wychwoods – Sue Smith “Conscientious objection, religion, and the public in Oxford in 1916”. Milton under Wychwood Village Hall, 7:30pm.
9th – Wootton & Dry Sandford – Owen Green “William Smith and a History of Geology in Oxfordshire”. Community Centre, Wootton, 7:30pm.
13th– Chipping Norton – Marie Louise Kerr “The Romans in Oxfordshire”. Methodist Church Hall, West Street, 2:00pm.
15th – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Saul David “SBS – Silent Warriors”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e–mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.
16th – Deddington – Katherine Bradley “Votes for Women in Oxfordshire”. Primary School, 7:30pm.
20th – Goring Gap – Graham Twemlow “Your King and Country Need You: Propaganda Posters of WW1 and WW2”. Goring Village Hall, 2:30pm.
March 2023
7th – Hook Norton – David Elder “Secret Cheltenham”. Baptist Church Hall, Netting Street, 7:30pm.
8th – Stanford in the Vale – Bruce Hedge “Early Watermills on the Ock and its Tributaries”. Village Hall, 7:30pm.
8th – Wychwoods – Chris Pickford “Bells and Bell Foundry – Burford”. Milton under Wychwood Village Hall, 7:30pm.
9th – Wootton & Dry Sandford – Bill King “A walk along the Thames path from the source near Cirencester to Oxford”. Community Centre, Wootton, 7:30pm.
13th – Chipping Norton – AGM and Stephen Dawson “The Oxford Preservation Trust”. Methodist Church Hall, West Street, 2:00pm.
15th – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – David Vassallo “The role of the medic in modern warfare”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e–mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.
16th – Deddington – Keith Westcott “The Roman Villa in Broughton Castle Grounds”. Primary School, 7:30pm.
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.
April 2023
4th – Hook Norton – Kathy Haslam “Kelmscott Manor”. Baptist Church Hall, Netting Street, 7:30pm.
12th – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Tony Bray “History of the Glider Pilot Regiment”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.
12th – Stanford in the Vale – Mark Davies “Stories of Oxford Castle”. Village Hall, 7:30pm.
12th – Wychwoods – Simon Randall “The English Civil War in the Cotswolds”. Milton under Wychwood Village Hall, 7:30pm.
17th– Chipping Norton – Deborah Hayter “Lost Villages of Oxfordshire”. Methodist Church Hall, West Street, 2:00pm.
21st – Deddington – Carol Anderson “The Ascott-under-Wychwood Martyrs”. Primary School, 7:30pm.
May 2023
2nd – Hook Norton – AGM followed by Janice Kinory “Salt in Prehistoric Britain”. Baptist Church Hall, Netting Street, 7:30pm.
8th – Chipping Norton – Jill Tovey “ The History of the Coventry Family and Broadway Tower”. Methodist Church Hall, West Street, 2:00pm.
10th – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – John Peaty “Lawrence of Arabia”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e–mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.
10th – Stanford in the Vale – Timothy Walker “Paradise Lost and Restored: 400 Years of Garden Design in Oxfordshire”. Village Hall, 7:30pm.
10th – Wychwoods – AGM and Jonathan Maisey “History of Windrush stone quarries”. Milton under Wychwood Village Hall, 7:30pm.
18th – Deddington – Janice Kinory “The Value of Old Photographs to the Historian”. Primary School, 7:30pm.
June 2023
14th – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Bill Pyke “Cuban Missile Crisis”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e–mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.
14th – Stanford in the Vale – Mary Vizoso “A Stroll Through Stanford in the Vale in the 1950s”. Village Hall, 7:30pm.
15th – Deddington – Martin Ingram “The Sex Police! The Church’s Fight against Naughtiness in Tudor and Stuart Villages”. Primary School, 7:30pm.
July 2023
12th – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Tony Babb “Norwegian Resistance and Collaboration in WW2”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e–mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.
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