2024
17th January – Garderobes & Gongfermors: Going to the Privy in the Medieval Era – James Wright
Going to the toilet is an everyday event for literally everyone that has ever lived. However, there has been a prudish reticence among architectural specialists to research and present the archaeology of this apparently ordinary practice. Despite this, there is a wealth of data which can be drawn upon to explain the latrinal habits of people in the mediaeval period.
This data is not just limited to the functional – Where in the building were the privies located? What did they look like? How were they kept clean? There are a whole host of other considerations: What were the mediaeval attitudes towards going to the toilet? Who was allowed to access the garderobe? What were the social implications of doing so? How were privies used to promote notions of elite prestige? This talk will plumb all of these depths…
Dr James Wright of Triskele Heritage is an award winning buildings archaeologist. He has two decades professional experience of ferreting around in people’s cellars, hunting through their attics and digging up their gardens. He hopes to find meaningful truths about how ordinary and extraordinary folk lived their lives in the past.
20th March – ‘Roman Lifestyles in Rural Rutland: Further Excavations at the Rutland Roman Villa.’ – John Thomas
Following the discovery and excavation of a unique Roman mosaic showing scenes from the Trojan War cycle on Rutland farmland in 2020/2021, archaeologists from University of Leicester and Historic England joined forces in 2022 to return to the site of the newly discovered villa to find out more. A highly detailed image of the Roman villa complex had been provided by geophysical survey, which gave an excellent indication of where other buildings lay within the field surrounding the . John Thomas will describe the results of these new excavations at one of the best preserved Roman villas in Leicestershire & Rutland, discussing what they can add to the story of this remarkable discovery, and setting the villa into the wider context of Roman rural life in Leicestershire and Rutland.
15th May – “Burning Passions. The Story of the Struggle for Women’s Suffrage in Leicestershire”– Jess Jenkins
Many in Leicester and the county were committed to the fight to secure votes for women. All faced violence and intimidation. Several were even prepared to face the threat of imprisonment and the hunger strike. A few were even prepared to commit arson… Although suffragettes like Alice Hawkins are well known today, other significant players have been largely forgotten. This is the tale of some of the women -and men – who were prepared to sacrifice everything in the face of the government’s intransigence over the issue.
Jess Jenkins worked as an archivist at Leicestershire Record Office for over thirty years. She accidentally volunteered to prepare an exhibition to mark the centenary of the local branch of the Women’s Social and Political Union in 2007 and was amazed at the array of interesting characters who were active locally. Her book on the subject – ‘The Burning Question’ appeared in 2008 and she is currently updating the work with all that she has learnt since then. The new book will be published shortly. She is the author of several books on local history and most recently of ‘Nursing in Serbia with Lady Paget in 1915’ which tells the story of a Leicester woman who went out to Serbia during the First World War.
17th July – The siege of 1645 for the guided walk of Leicester – Jim Butler
18th September – Leicester Cathedral Revealed – Mathew Morris
The construction of Leicester Cathedral’s new Heritage & Learning Centre has revealed a fascinating snapshot of life in Leicester over the past 2,000 years, including a possible Roman shrine, an Anglo-Saxon building, and a burial ground in use from the late Saxon period to the 19th century. Join archaeologist Mathew Morris from the University of Leicester Archaeological Services for a talk about the recent archaeological excavations at Leicester Cathedral and what they tell us about the lives of the people of St Martin’s parish and the story of Leicester.
Mathew graduated from the University of Leicester in 2003 with a BA in Archaeology and an MA in Landscape Studies, joining ULAS in 2004. In 2012, he directed the successful archaeological search for the lost grave of King Richard III. Recently, he has been digging up more Roman buildings and mosaics in Leicester, at the former Southgates Bus Depot and All Saints’ Brewery sites and is currently leading the archaeological work for the Leicester Cathedral Revealed project.
20th November – The Archaeology of Brooksby Quarry & The River Bytham – Matt Beamish
Matthew Beamish is a graduate of Cambridge University and has been working as an archaeologist in Leicestershire since 1990 is giving a talk on “The Archaeology of Brooksby Quarry & The River Bytham” at the Hoby & District Local History Society on Wednesday 20th November, 7.30pm, Hoby Village Hall (LE14 3DT). All are welcome; the price for non members is £2.00 (pay on door) or visit www.hobyanddistricthistory.co.uk
The talk will include the results to date of archaeological work on the sands and gravels of Brooksby Quarry between 2007-2020 which identified evidence of early human occupation in the area and the environmental backdrop to that activity.
A series of linked investigations were carried out to further the understanding of the character of a distinct deposit of sands and gravels identified near to Brooksby, Leicestershire, the Brooksby Sand and Gravel. These deposits infill a bedrock incised channel of the Bytham river, a major Pleistocene river system that drained the English Midlands prior to the Anglian Glaciation. The deposits which lie between 55m and 60m, are thought to have accumulated during a period of temperate conditions within the Cromerian Complex, a period of the earliest hominin activity in Britain.
Quartzite artefacts and environmental material including some pollen, small vertebrate remains, wood and plant macrofossils were recovered/ sampled from the investigations.
The talk will include what the evidence is, how it is found and what it might mean
Matthew Beamish is a graduate of Cambridge University and has been working as an archaeologist in Leicestershire since 1990. His archaeological expertise covers all prehistoric sites, including wetland preservation and wood technology. A particular highlight in recent years has been the analysis and experimental reconstruction of the first ever bark shield to have been found in the northern hemisphere. Technical expertise includes the development and implementation of database systems, site survey, the use of GIS systems, and the use of aerial LIDAR data. Matthew is the Membership Secretary for the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society.
11th December – members evening – a family object/subject of interest/ DNA results