The Thoresby Society - Past Lectures


Lecture Syllabus 2001-2002


2001
Tuesday, 2nd October
Leeds, City of music from the early C18 - the early C21
Simon Lindley, organist at Leeds Parish Church will talk about Leeds as a city of music both from the sociological aspects as well as the cultural.
Venue: Friends' Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.
Tuesday,
6th November
Aviation History in and around Leeds and Hull - Pioneers, Personalities and Politics, 1885 - 1955
Professor Robert Blackburn from Kings' College, London will talk about Blackburn Aircraft and the work of his grandfather, the founder, Robert Blackburn.
Venue: Friends' Meeting House.
Thursday,
6th December
Members' Evening
1) The Languid Child and the C18 Man-midwife
Josephine Lloyd will talk on the achievements of William Hey in the field of obstetrics.
2) Anti-Semitism in Leeds in the 1930s
Amanda Bergen will examine how the Jewish Community in Leeds responded to this and the impact this had in the community.
Venue: 'Claremont', Clarendon Road, Leeds.
2002
Tuesday,
8th January
Corn Mills, Corn Exchanges and the Leeds Grain Trade c. 1700-1900
An illustrated talk by Dr. Kevin Grady from the Leeds Civic Trust.
Venue: 'Claremont', Clarendon Road, Leeds. NB

Tuesday,
5th February
The Burial Problem in Leeds in the C19
Jim Morgan BA will examine the problems and solutions
Venue: Friends' Meeting House.
Tuesday,
5th March
The delf'oles of Leeds: the sandstone quarries of the Leeds Area
Murray Mitchell, geologist, will give an illustrated lecture on this intriguing title.
Venue: Friends' Meeting House.
Saturday,
23rd March
at 2.30pm
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Chairman: the Lord Mayor of Leeds.
Address by the President of the Society, Peter Morrish
Books and libraries in Leeds before Priestley
Venue: The Civic Hall, East Room.


Lecture Syllabus 2002-2003


2002
Tuesday, 1st October
Samson Fox and Yorkshire Brass
Malcolm Neesam will give an illustrated lecture on the great Yorkshire inventor, industrialist and philanthropist
Venue: Friends' Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.
Tuesday,
5th November
Spirits, Spirit Merchants and Distilling in Leeds 1750s-1850s
Professor John Chartres from the School of History, University of Leeds will talk about his research.
Venue: Friends' Meeting House.
Thursday,
5th December
Members' Evening
1) Mary Forster will look back over 42 years as the Society's Librarian
with anecdotes and personal remembrances.
2) Rosemary Stephens
was joint editor of the Thoresby Society publications from 1972 for 30 years and will also share some of her memories with us.
Venue: 'Claremont', Clarendon Road, Leeds.
2003
Tuesday,
7th January
Children of the Streets - Child Protection and Juvenile Delinquency in Victorian Leeds
Dr Louise Jackson from the Department of Cultural Studies, Leeds Metropolitan University will give an illustrated talk on this topic.
Venue: Friends' Meeting House.
Tuesday,
4th February
Maps of Yorkshire with particular reference to Leeds and the surrounding areas
Brian Chappelow from the Yorkshire Archaeological Society will discuss a wide ranging variety of maps and bring a number of exhibits for us to look at, covering many centuries.
Venue: Friends' Meeting House.
Tuesday,
4th March
The Leeds Historic Parks' Project 1996-2001
Colin Treen from Leeds Metropolitan University will give a review of the history and condition of Leeds' Parks.
Joint meeting with the Civic Trust - to be held in the Brunswick Lecture Theatre, Leeds Metropolitan University.
Saturday,
22nd March
at 2.30pm
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Address by the President of the Society, Peter Morrish
Ralph Thoresby, Books and Libraries.
Venue: The Civic Hall, East Room.

 

Lecture Syllabus 2003-2004

2003
Tuesday, 7th October
The Early Offices of Leeds
Professor Maurice Beresford and Dr. Rachel Unsworth from Geography dept. University of Leeds, will give a lecture on their research into late 18thC-19thC business services and their buildings in Leeds -a sequel to ‘ East end-West end ’
Venue: Friends' Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.
Tuesday,
4th November
Looking after paper- the conservator at work
Stephen and Pamela Allen will give an informal talk with demonstrations. Members are invited to bring documents, maps, letters, prints and photographs for discussion on how they may be safely preserved.
Venue: Friends' Meeting House.
Thursday,
11th December
Members' Evening
(1) Leeds’ Public Houses, their development and their social function.
Michael Leonard will talk on the social influence on Leeds.
(2) A Leeds’ Collector: Thomas Plint and the Pre-Raphaelites.
A talk by Janet Douglas
Venue: 'Claremont', Clarendon Road, Leeds.
2004
Tuesday,
6th January
Henry Embleton and the Leeds’ Choral Union
Dr. Robert Demaine from York University will give an illustrated (and musical) lecture on the development of the Choral union in Leeds from 1895 and the munificence of mining engineer Henry Embleton and his connections with Elgar.
Venue: Friends' Meeting House.
Tuesday,
3rd February
The Steam Engineering Heritage of Leeds
Derek Rayner, chartered mechanical engineer and President of the Leeds & District Traction Engine Club, will give an illustrated talk on how Leeds became the leading centre of steam engineering in the U.K. and its lasting legacy.
Venue: Friends' Meeting House.
Tuesday,
2nd March
Leonora Cohen, suffragette and trades’ union activist
Veronica Lovell MA will give an illustrated talk on the life and work of this fascinating Leeds’ woman.
Venue: Friends' Meeting House.

Saturday,
20th March
at 2.30pm
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Address by the President of the Society, Peter Morrish
Further details will be sent out nearer the date.
Venue: Claremont’, Clarendon Road, Leeds 2



Lecture Syllabus 2004-2005

2004
Tuesday, 5th October
The undark sky : life in the Leylands.
Dr. Geoffrey (Professor of Neurobiology, London) will give an illustrated talk on the subject of his recent book.
Venue: Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.
Tuesday,
2nd November
The struggle for paradise - ethnic minorities in Chapeltown in the twentieth century.
Dr. Max Farrar (School of Cultural studies, Leeds Metropolitan University and author of ‘The Struggle for Community in a British Multicultural Inner City Area’) will give an illustrated talk on life in Chapeltown.
Venue: Friends' Meeting House.
Tuesday,
7th December
1904-a charter for the Yorkshire College ?
Professor Peter Gosden ,School of Education (retired), Leeds’ University will give an illustrated talk to mark the centenary of Leeds’ University.
Venue: Friends’ Meeting House.
2005
Thursday,
6th January
New Year’s Members' Evening
1. Lord Mayors of Leeds and their changing role from 1895-1947: a talk by Dr. Ray Dalton

2. Cholera in Leeds , Dr. Jim Morgan will talk on its impact.
Venue: ’Claremont’, Clarendon Road, Leeds.
Wine and refreshments will be served.
Tuesday,
1st February
Headingley 1540-1563: manorial change and monastic continuation.
Dr. John Cruikshank (orthopaedic surgeon) will give an illustrated lecture.
Venue: Friends’ Meeting House.
Tuesday,
1st March
Women and networked family - Leeds 1780-1870.
Dr. Robert Morris of Edinburgh University will give an illustrated lecture on aspects of his recent research.
Venue: Friends’ Meeting House.

Tuesday,
5th April
at 2.30pm
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
A.G.M.
Chairman: The Lord Mayor

This will be followed by a lecture given by Michael Hickling, features’ editor of the Yorkshire Post entitled A Journalist’s View of the Yorkshire Post’s history. The Yorkshire post is celebrating its 250th anniversary.

Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House

 

Lecture Syllabus 2005-2006

The following lectures have been arranged for members; guests attending on more than two occasions will be expected to apply to join the Society.    Meetings commence at 7.15pm
2005
Tuesday, 4th October
Leeds’ Pals Adrian Budge (Education Officer at the Royal Armouries) will talk about his research into the backgrounds of the men who joined Kitchener’s Army.
Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.
Tuesday,
1st November
‘The Sack’em up men—A Leeds Anatomical Scandal’
Professor Michael Green(independent Consulting Forensic Pathologist) will give an illustrated talk about body snatching in Leeds.
Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.
Tuesday, 6th December Working class militancy or middle class meddling ?
The Suffrage involvement of Mary Gawthorpe c.1906-1914.; Dr. Krista Cowman (Leeds’ Metropolitan University) will talk on suffragette movement in Leeds.
Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.
2006
Thursday,
12th January
New Year’s Members' Evening
1) Bramley Hill: a seventeenth century yeoman’s house and its inhabitants: Peter and Greta Meredith will talk about their interesting old house.

(2) The Shire Family’s Tragedy 1885: Robin Dove will show how he has traced the fortunes of a Chapel Allerton family through their correspondence.

Wine and refreshments will be served.
The Library will be open from 6pm for the sale of books.
Venue: Claremont, Clarendon Road, Leeds
Tuesday,
7th February
The incorporation of Headingley into Leeds; urban-rural interaction in the 17th century. Dr. John Cruikshank (orthopaedic surgeon)will give an illustrated lecture as a follow up to his hugely popular talk last year.
Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds..
Tuesday,
7th March
The Pevsner Architectural Guide to Leeds: the changing March 7th city. Susan Wrathmell will talk on Pevsner’s response to the city’s architecture and influence on subsequent changes.
Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.

Tuesday,
4th April
at 2.30pm
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
A.G.M.
Chairman: The Lord Mayor

This will be followed by a lecture given by the Society’s new President Jim Morgan entitled Leeds and Bradford in the first half of the 19th century; contrasting political experiences.

Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.

 

Lecture Syllabus 2006-2007

The following lectures have been arranged for members; guests attending on more than two occasions will be expected to apply to join the Society.    Meetings commence at 7.15pm
2006
Tuesday, 3rd October
Beyond Domesticity: Women and Public Culture in Victorian Leeds:
Dr. Simon Morgan, Lecturer in Modern British Cultural and Social History,
University of Leicester, will talk on the role of women.
Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.
Tuesday,
7th November
Old Leeds: Rose Gibson, Archivist from Leeds Central Library, will give a presentation of photographs from the Leodis website, particularly those from the
Thoresby collection.
Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.
Tuesday, 5th December The Water-based Economy in Leeds between 1841 and 1901 and its
Occupational Community
: Sue Cottam will talk about her research.
Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.
2007
Thursday,
11th January
Members’ Evening
1.Bramley becomes a suburb: Antony Silson will give an illustrated talk.
2.A Chapel Allerton Story: Robin Dove will share more of his local findings.
Wine and refreshments will be served.
The Library will be open before the meeting for the sale of surplus books.
Venue: Claremont, Clarendon Road, Leeds
Tuesday,
6th February
Where was Leeds? The problems of writing a history of a 20th century
city:
Professor Robert Morris, from Edinburgh University and the Society’s
Patron, will start the evening with a tribute to Maurice Beresford before giving
his lecture.

Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds..
Tuesday,
6th March
Evangelical Revival and the building of Churches in the West Riding: John
Goodchild, (the John Goodchild Collection, Wakefield), will bring documents
from his collection to illustrate his lecture.
Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.

Tuesday,
3rd April
THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Chairman: The Lord Mayor, Councillor Mohammed Iqbal.
This will be followed by a lecture given by the President of the Society, Jim
Morgan, entitled Leeds and Bradford: contrasting demographic, economic
and social trends between 1830 and 1850.


Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.

 

Lecture Syllabus 2007-2008

The following lectures have been arranged for members. Guests attending on more than two occasions will be expected to apply to join the Society.    Meetings commence at 7.15pm
2007
Tuesday, 2nd October
Local Trade in the Medieval West Riding.
Richard Britnell from Durham University will give an illustrated talk. Leeds is celebrating the 800th anniversary of its first market charter.
Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.
Tuesday,
6th November
Looking for Leodis: Leeds before Leeds.
Richard Morris (Institute For Medieval studies, Leeds University) will look back to the 8thC for evidence of the early history of the settlement..
Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.
Tuesday, 4th December The transformation of Headingley’s road network in the 18thC; Urban imperatives driving rural change: Dr. John Cruickshank has been invited to give a third lecture on the history of Headingley.
Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.
2008
Thursday,
10th January
Members’ Evening
1. Leeds and Revolution: The Peace Convention of 1917. Michael Meadowcroft will talk on this intriguing topic.
2. Thomas Harvey, the peace activist: Quaker anti slavery agitation in the 1840s. Janet Douglas will share her research.
Wine and refreshments will be served. The Library will be open before the meeting for the sale of surplus books.
Venue: Claremont, Clarendon Road, Leeds
Tuesday,
5th February
An undergraduate in love: T.D.Whitaker’s early letters to Lucy Thursby, now in the Society’s library. Peter Meredith (Hon. Librarian) will talk about this recent acquisition to the library.
Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds..
Tuesday,
4th March
Holocaust Survivors in Leeds and district:
Brett Harrison (retired Archivist for Leeds) will give an illustrated talk.
Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.

Tuesday,
1st April
THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Chairman: The Lord Mayor, Councillor Brian Cleasby. This will be followed by a lecture given by the President of the Society, Jim Morgan, entitled Middle class agitation and control: Leeds and Bradford and the genesis of stability 1830-50.
Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.

 

Lecture Syllabus 2008-2009

The following lectures have been arranged for members. Guests attending on more than two occasions will be expected to apply to join the Society.    Meetings commence at 7.15pm
2008
Tuesday, 7th October
The ingenuous Mr. Thoresby: First Historian of Leeds;
Dr. Kevin Grady will talk about the life and interests of Ralph Thoresby after whom the Society is named.
Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.
Tuesday,
4th November
The effects of the Black Death in Leeds;
Dr. John Dixon will discuss how plausible some of the effects are.
Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.
Tuesday, 2nd December Gunning for Leeds? Defending the City in the English Civil War; presented by Simon Riches and Adrian Budge from The Royal Armouries. This will be a hands on presentation looking at artefacts and evidence and at the Leeds experience during the Civil war.
Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.
2009
Thursday,
8th January
Members’ Evening
1. St. Saviour’s Church and the Oxford Movement; Dr. Roy Yates
2. Monuments as a reflection of public figures, public events and the history of Leeds; Peggy Pullen
Venue: Claremont, Clarendon Road, Leeds
Tuesday,
3rd February
The Northern Star and Leeds General Advertiser: Chartist Pioneer of newspaper circulation wars; Dr. Malcolm Chase (Leeds University) will give an illustrated talk on the free gifts given by the Northern Star to boost its circulation
Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds..
Tuesday,
3rd March
Leeds and Wakefield: two Jebb Prisons;
Felicity Harrison (retired researcher) will give an illustrated talk.
Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.

Tuesday,
7th April
THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Chairman : The Lord Mayor, Councillor Frank Robinson
This will be followed by a lecture given by Matthew Roberts from Sheffield Hallam University entitled :W.L.Jackson and the politics of Civic Virtue in late Victorian Leeds.
Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.


Lecture Syllabus 2009-2010


2010
Tuesday, 6th October
The Knights Templar, with special reference to Temple Newsam’ :
Trish Colton and Diane Holloway, authors of ‘The Knights Templar in Yorkshire’ will give an illustrated talk.
Venue: Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane
Tuesday,
3rd November
“The History of Middleton Park :
Martin Roe (archaeologist) will talk to us about the archaeology and history of Middleton Park, its manorial woodland, landscaping, the early coal mining and its historic waggonway.
Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.
Tuesday, 1st December “Watty’s Birthday 1763 : A Leeds Family celebrates”
Eileen White (food historian) will talk about the house and the feast prepared by an 18th century Leeds family living on the Headrow
Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.
2010
Thursday,
7th January
Members’ Evening
1. “The Barrister and the Quaker”

Vine Joss will talk about the first attempts by women to get on to the electoral register in Leeds.
2. “The Development of Roundhay as a Victorian Suburb”
Anne Wilkinson will give an illustrated talk.
Venue: Claremont, Clarendon Road, Leeds
Tuesday,
2nd February
“The Borough Waits : The Corporation Musicians, their history and music”
Alan Radford from Leeds Waits will talk about the history of the Waits and their instruments. The Waits will play some of their music, particularly from the Crawshaw Manuscript, Harper’s Yard, Kirkgate
Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds..
Tuesday,
2nd March
“The Bank : A Leeds Irish Community 1830 – 1930”
Danny and Helen Kennally from the Leeds Irish History and Cultural Society will give an illustrated talk on the origins and life of the Irish Community. This talk will coincide with Irish History Month.
Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.

Tuesday,
5th April

6.45 pm

THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Chairman : The Lord Mayor of Leeds
This will be followed by a lecture given by Geoffrey Forster from The Leeds Library on “R. D. Chantrell: The Leeds Architect, and his work.”.
Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.

 

Lecture Syllabus 2010-2011


2010
Tuesday, 5th October
1. “The Barrister and the Quaker”
Vine Joss will talk about the first attempts by women to get on to the electoral register in Leeds.
2. “The Development of Roundhay as a Victorian Suburb”
Anne Wilkinson will give an illustrated talk.
Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.
Tuesday,
2nd November
“From Casino to Empire – The Music Hall in Leeds 1840 – 1914”:
Professor David Russell from Leeds Metropolitan University will give an illustrated talk on this fascinating topic.
Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.
Tuesday, 7th December “The Black City – The Problem of Smoke Pollution in Leeds c.1800 – 1956”
Dr. Stephen Mosley from Leeds Metropolitan University will give an illustrated talk on the impact of pollution on Leeds.
Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.
2011
Thursday,
13th January
To celebrate the New Year: An Evening with Oakwood Local History Society
Hilary Dyson and Anne Wilkinson will present two illustrated talks on aspects of Oakwood history. Wine will be served between the talks and the library will be open beforehand for the sale of books.
Venue: Claremont, Clarendon Road, Leeds
Tuesday,
1st February
“Walking the Leeds – Liverpool Canal”
Pat Clark will present an illustrated look at the buildings, the history, the industrial use and present use of the Leeds - Liverpool canal.
Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds..
Tuesday,
1st March
“The Leeds Pottery Dig”
Kathy Allday and Jean Millard will talk about the exciting archaeological projects round Leeds.
Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.

Cancelled and replaced by Kevin Grady talking about Kirkgate

Tuesday,
5th April

6.45 pm

THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Chairman : The Lord Mayor of Leeds
This will be followed by a lecture given by Geoffrey Forster from The Leeds Library on “Samuel Smiles”.
Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.

 

Lecture Syllabus 2011-2012


2011
Tuesday, 4th October
The Bishop Blase processions in Leeds and Bradford: the end of an era
Bishop Blaise was the Patron Saint of Wool. Peter Meredith (Hon. Librarian) will enlighten us.

Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.
Tuesday,
1st November
Regeneration and Persistence: an audio walk around Holbeck
Simon Bradley will discuss his current PhD research, producing an
oral history of Holbeck.

Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.
Tuesday, 6th December Celebrating Christmas in Victorian Leeds
Janet Douglas will give an illustrated talk.

Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.
2012
Thursday,
12th January
Members’ Evening

1 .The note books of Robert Pounder, woollen worker and friend
of Robert Oastler
: Ann Alexander is transcribing these note books
in the Society’s collection.

2. A Good Interment: the Leeds General Cemetery Company 1833-1965: an illustrated talk by Jim Morgan.

Wine and refreshments will be served. The Library will be open before
the meeting for the sale of surplus books.

Venue: Claremont, Clarendon Road, Leeds
Tuesday,
7th February
An Evening presented by Morley Local History Group
Dr. Clive McManus will give an illustrated talk on Morley’s Heritage and the David Atkinson archive.

Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds..
Tuesday,
6th March
Behind the Postage Stamp: A history of letter writing from 1660-2011 with a focus on Leeds.
David Wilson, retired teacher and Philatelist will talk on the history on the Leeds Postal service

Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.

Tuesday,
3rd April 6.45 pm

THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The Lord Mayor of Leeds presiding.
This will be followed by a lecture given by the Michael Meadowcroft on Charles Wilson, the big city boss.

Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.

 

Lecture Syllabus 2012-2013


2012
Tuesday, 2nd October
Samplers from the Leeds and Galleries Collection
Natalie Raw from The Abbey House Museum and Leeds Discovery Centre will give an illustrated talk. Do bring along any family heirlooms.

Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.
Tuesday,
6th November
Sir Thomas Gascoigne, eighteenth century Yorkshire catholic baronet; his upbringing, politics ; his estate management
An illustrated lecture by Alex Lock of Leeds University

Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.
Tuesday,4th December Fertility decline in 19th Leeds and the social reasons behind this
Paul Atkinson from Huddersfield University will
discuss this.

Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.
2013
Thursday,
10th January
Members’ Evening

1 . ‘A great wrong has been done to the dead’: Eric Gill’s war memorial for the University of Leeds:
Speaker:Anne Brook


2..The development of the manor of Kirkgate-a reappraisal;
Speaker Steve Burt

The library will be open before the meeting.
Refreshments will be served in between the talks

Venue: Claremont, Clarendon Road, Leeds
Tuesday,
5th February
The Leeds Pottery Dig
Jean Millard and Kathy Alldays will talk about the exciting archaeological projects around Leeds.

Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds..
Tuesday,
5th March
The Suffragette boycott of the 1911 census across West Yorkshire
A talk by Jill Liddington from Leeds University.

Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.

Tuesday,
2nd April 6.45 pm

THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Ann Castle will be presiding.
This will be followed by a lecture given by Roy Yates, the Society
President entitled Church and Town: The ministry of John Gott as vicar of Leeds 1873-1886:

Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.

 

Lecture Syllabus 2013-2014


 
2013
Tuesday October 1st
Pedestrians and Pugilists-Sporting life in Leeds in the Nineteenth century. Derek Martin uncovers a rich but forgotten history of professional athletes, prizefighters, gamblers, sporting entrepreneurs, and other disreputable types in Victorian England.

Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.
Tuesday November 5th The history of the water supply for Leeds. David Burgess, civil engineer(retired) Yorkshire Water Board, will give an illustrated talk.

Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.
Tuesday December 3rd.

 

Pagannini on Tour: David Mayers retired lecturer from Huddersfield , will give an illustrated talk on Pagannini’s visit to Leeds Music Hall

Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.
2014
Thursday January 9th.

 

Members’ Evening

1 .The Wortley church Disaster of 1891. David Thornton will talk about this tragedy where 11 girls were burnt to death at a church bazaar.

2.Ralph Thoresby’s life as he saw it: the Autobiographical transcription project. Peter Meredith will tell us about the progress of the project.

Venue: Claremont, Clarendon Road, Leeds.
Tuesday February 4th. The Special collections at the University of Leeds. Katy Goodrun will talk about the wide ranging collections and their accessibility .

Venue: The Friends ’Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.
Tuesday March 5th The Gascoignes and the Garforth Miners; the development of Garforth in the Nineteenth century. Alison Henesey will look at the Role of the local landed family and the effect on the development of the community 1850-1890

Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.
Tuesday April 1st
6.45pm
THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING The Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Tom Murray, will be presiding.This will be followed by a lecture given by the Roy Yates, the Society President entitled 150 years of the Church Extension Society.

Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.
Monday May 19th
1.00-3.30pm
A visit to the Wortley Local History Group. Colin Broadbent will talk about the history of Wortley and show the group’s collection of artefacts based at Whingate Methodist Church, Upper Armley.

 

Lecture Syllabus 2014-2015

2014
Tuesday, October 7th
The impact of the First World War on Leeds Grammar School : John Davies has recently returned from the Battlefields and has been researching pupils from the Grammar school who lost their lives.

Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.
Tuesday,
November 4th
The Wave of Disease; The Leeds Cholera Epidemic of 1832: John Brooke will give an illustrated talk on the impact of the outbreak.

Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.
Tuesday,
December 2nd
Mill Hill Chapel personalities in the City of Leeds circa 1847-1900 John Goodchild will talk on importance of this group to Leeds.

Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.
2015
Thursday,
January 15th
Members’ Evening

1. Tommy Clapham and his magnificent and princely gardens: Eveleigh Bradford will give an illustrated talk about the lost botanical gardens of Headingley.

2. Yet more Ralph Thoresby: searching the Thoresby Archives: Peter Meredith will talk about his research.

There will be a book sale before this meeting and refreshments in the interval

Venue: Claremont, Clarendon Road, Leeds
Tuesday,
February 3rd
The secret life of Edward Baines: the censored business of medicines, printers and booksellers in Georgian England: Alan Mackintosh from Leeds University will be looking at the role of the press as patent medicine vendors.

Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds..
Tuesday,
March 3rd
Small and scattered: Children’s Homes in Leeds 1900-1950 Sue Cottam has recently completed her PhD investigating the work of Voluntary Homes in Leeds and the backgrounds of the children in care.

Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.
Tuesday,
April 7th

6.45 pm
THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The Lord Mayor of Leeds,Councillor David Congreve, will be presiding.
This will be followed by a lecture given by Roy Yates, the Society President entitled The Reformation in Leeds 1534-1559

Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.

 

Lecture Syllabus 2015-2016

2015
Monday, October 7th
From Waterloo to Peterloo and its aftermath:a Leeds and West Yorkshire Perspective by Malcolm Chase.

Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.
Monday,
October 19th
Stories from the War hospital. Richard Wilcocks will tell true stories from Leeds Principal First World war hospital at Becketts Park, Headingley

Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.
Monday,
November 16th
Mill Hill Chapel personalities in the City of Leeds circa 1847-1900 John Goodchild will talk on importance of this group to Leeds.

Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.
2016
Monday,
January 18th
Members’ Evening

1. John Hope Saw 1792-1864, Solicitor, Politician and three times Mayor of Leeds. Presented by Michael Meadowcroft

2. Rev Samuel Kettlewell, Vicar of St Mark’s Woodhouse, and former curate of Dr. Hook Member of the Royal Society and his Natural History Expedition Talk by Jackie Depelle

Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.
Monday,
February15th
Memory, Heritage and taking photographs-Leeds and beyond. Prof Robert Morris (Patron of the Thoresby Society) will ask what we learn as historians when we take photographs…lavishly illustrated.

Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.
Monday,
March 21st
Joseph Town and the History of Leeds Paper making. A talk by Catherine Wright. Jospeh Town was a member of the Thoresby Society The Town family had a paper mill from 1822-1930., Turkey mill in Keighley and premises in Albion Street

Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.
Monday,
April 18th

6.45 pm
THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Lecture Chapel, Chantries and Guilds in Leeds at the time of the Reformation by Roy Yates.

Venue: The Friends’ Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds.

 



Lecture Syllabus 2016-2017

2016
Monday, September 19th


How many Townships make Three? Court Leets and Constables in Bramley, Wortley and (eventually) Armley. John Cruickshank will talk about local administration in the out townships of Leeds between the C16th and C19th.

Monday,
October 17th
Stank Hall Barn, it origins, its history and its future. Stank Hall Barn is the oldest standing secular building in Leeds. An illustrated talk by Sue Otley-Hughes

Wednesday, November 9th Leeds Library at 12.45 Vine Pemberton Joss: ‘Everything was wanting except the patients: Women’s Health, Medical Care & Philanthropy in Leeds.
The Yorkshire Ladies Council were ‘the women who changed Leeds through philanthropic initiatives, including the founding of the Leeds School of Cookery, Babies Welcome and the West Riding Nursing Association. Their public lectures on women’s health and hygiene facilitated one of the first women doctors in Britain, Ethel Pechey, to open her practice in Leeds.

Wednesday, November 16th Leeds Library at 12.45

Janet Douglas: Leeds and the 1866 Women’s Suffrage Petition
This year has seen the 150th Anniversary of the first national petition calling for the enfranchisement of women. Of the 1499 women who signed the petition, 101 were from Leeds, largely from the Woodhouse district, living in streets that you have probably walked along.
Monday,
November 21st


Global shopping in historic Leeds
a talk from Nicola Pullan Assistant Curator of Leeds and Social History Leeds Museums and Galleries

Wednesday, November 23rd Leeds Library at 12.45

Derek Martin: Pedestriennes – 19th Century Women Athletes
Watching the Olympics this year, it is easy to forget that it was only in the 1970s that female athletes were allowed to run races longer than 800 metres. But in Leeds in the 19th century there were events where you could witness women performing walks of up to a thousand miles – this talk highlights some of these forgotten professional sportswomen.

Wednesday, November 30th Leeds Library at 12.45 Ann Wilkinson: the Little Owls Society of Leeds
Founded by Helen Heaton, the daughter of Dr. John and Fanny Heaton in 1879, initially its twelve members met each week in each other’s homes, to read and discuss works of prose or poetry. Membership was by invitation and included the daughters of some of the prestigious families in Leeds. The Little Owls evolved into a fortnightly programme of talks and events. Some of the subjects were they discussed were very controversial, for example in 1888 the subject for a meeting was ‘Individualism v. Socialism’.

2017
Monday,
January 16th
Members’ Evening

1. Vine Pemberton Joss: Catherine Buckton, first woman in Leeds Public Life

2. Janet Douglas: The Becketts of Meanwood, a talk about this important wealthy family and their place in Meanwood.

Monday,
February 20th

Medieval Leeds: an illustrated talk a talk by Emeritus Professor Joyce Hill.

Monday,
March 20th
Gone but not forgotten: medieval buildings in the outer precincts of Kirkstall Abbey: an illustrated talk by Stuart Wrathmell

Monday,
April 24th

6.45 pm
THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING followed by a talk by Thoresby President Professor John Chartres entitled : Where the North Sea meets the Atlantic: Leeds in the Eighteenth century.The Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Gerry Harper, Presiding

 

Lecture Syllabus 2017-2018

2017
Monday
September 18th
The political life of Alice Bacon: one of the twentieth century's most remarkable female politicians defying all odds to be elected the first woman MP for Leeds in 1945.
A talk by Rachel Reeves MP for Leeds West

Monday
October 16th
The Conscientious Would Not Go; The Music of War Resistance 1914-1918.
Dr Clive Barrett will give an illustrated talk about fate of Leeds conscientious objectors.

Wednesday November 1st
Leeds Library at 12.00

Early plans of Leeds: the Falkingham plan of 1560 and Cossins' plan of 1726.
Steve Burt
Wednesday November 8th
Leeds Library at 12.00
The Waterloo plan of Leeds.
PeterMeredith
Monday
November 20th
Leeds Locomotive Builders to the World.
Dr Di Drummond from Leeds Trinity will talk about the railway engine building companies in Leeds.

2018
Monday
January 15th
Members' Evening in Leeds Library, 18 Commercial Street, Leeds, LS1 6AL,
parking spaces at Mill Hill Chapel.
1. Robert Baker and the 1832 Cholera Map of Leeds
by John Turney
2. The Family Throp - sculptors of Leeds by Michael Meadowcroft
Refreshments will be provided. Library open from 6pm.

Monday
February 19th
Parliamentary Elections of Leeds 1832-2017
Dr David Thornton looks at the elections and how politics and campaigns have changed.

Monday
March 19th
‘The Remarkable Story of Hunslet: From Medieval Manor to Industrial Suburb’
Dr Kevin Grady has very kindly agreed at very short notice to step in and give a replacement lecture

Monday
April 16th
6.45pm
THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The lord mayor, Councillor Jane Dowson will be present.
This will be followed by a lecture entitled Henry Arthur Albutt and the cause of Mathusianism in nineteen century Leeds by John Chartres, the Society President.

 

Session 2018-2019


2018
Tuesday September 4th  Joint Meeting with Leeds Library.
An illustrated talk by Michele Sowden: The Shepherd Prince: Samuel Sowden and the silent voices of the Castlereagh River. The subject of Michele’s newly launched book about her great great great grandfather, transported to Australia from Leeds at the time of the industrial revolution. Michele is visiting from Australia.

Monday September 17th

The disabled and unemployed in Leeds after the First World War.
An illustrated talk by Lucy Moore from The Leeds Discovery centre.

Monday October 1st The Country is against us: Leeds and the introduction of Dialysis in Britain.
Dr John Turney shows how Leeds led the way in this important field of medicine.

Monday November 5th Parliamentary Elections 1940-2017.
This is part two of David Thornton’s look at how politics and campaigns have changed since 1832.

2019
Monday January 8th Members' Evening

1. Paper Chase or Harriers Clubs in Leeds, a talk by Derek Martin
2. Forced Rhubarb production in Leeds and district. A look the rhubarb triangle by Tony Silson

Refreshments will be provided.

Monday February 4th Between Public and Private, Arthur Ransome’s photographs of the Russian Revolution.
Simon Popple looks at the photographs in the  Brotherton Collection and little known aspects of the author’s life.



Monday March   4th The life of a Leeds Lawyer, Edwin Eddison 1805-1867.
A talk by Sara Woodhall  based on documents found in a trunk. Eddison was a Leeds Quaker and involved with the building of the Town Hall. His son was a partner of John Fowler, engineer; his daughter in law the first woman to be awarded an honorary doctorate from Leeds university.

Monday April  1st. THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The Lord Mayor, Councillor Graham Latty, will be present.
This will be followed by a lecture by the Society’s President John Chartres. The title will confirmed in the AGM papers.



 

Session 2019-2020


2019
Monday September 16th Leeds and the industrialization of the UK food system before 1800. John Chartres will look at Leeds and how this developed.

Tuesday September 24th  Joint Meeting with Leeds Library.
Professor Jessica Malay will give an illustrated talk on Lady Anne Clifford of Skipton and Appleby Castles. Looking at her autobiographical writings Professor Malay will talk about the life long struggle Lady Anne had to gain her inheritance and how she restored her estates.

Monday October 21st Joseph Priestley, The Leeds Library and the Leeds Census of 1771 and 1775. A talk by past president Jim Morgan.
In the 1770s controversy arose over whether England’s population was rising or falling. In Leeds in 1771, the famous scientist and minister of Mill Hill Chapel, Joseph Priestley organised a parish census. Four years later another census was taken. The lecture looks at the evidence and what it tells us about Leeds in the late 18th century.

Wednesday November 6th
@ 1pm
Ralph Thoresby in his own words. by Professor Peter Meredith
Ralph Thoresby was a voluminous diarist, but as a deeply religious man he is not a northern Samuel Pepys. But he is a man of strong feelings, not only about religion but about his books and his museum, his friends (especially at one time his Cousin Susy), his family, in particular his father, and his town. This talk shows some of his many sides in his own words, with a hint of his own appearance.
Wednesday November 13th
@ 1pm
Prospects and Panoramas of Leeds. by Dr. Kevin Grady
The lecture presents some amazing engravings and paintings showing how the Leeds townscape and streetscape has changed over the last 350 years
Monday November 18th Victorian Chatelaine : Emily Meynell Ingram of Hoar Cross and Temple Newsam. James Lomax, author and former curator at Temple Newsam, will give an illustrated talk.
Emily Meynell Ingram was the last resident of Temple Newsam House; a keen artist and a formidable woman, she ran the Temple Newsam estate after the tragic death of her husband early in their marriage.

Wednesday November 20th
@ 1pm
Lost Churches of Leeds 1800-1900. by Revd. Dr. Roy Yates
Roy Yates will show how the Church of England attempted to provide church accommodation for the rapidly expanding population of Leeds in the nineteenth century, and how many of these churches became redundant as the population shifted from the city centre to the suburbs. Illustrated with photographs and prints from the Thoresby Society's collections.
Wednesday November 27th
@ 1pm

Lady Members of the Leeds Library 1768-1914. by Janet Douglas
In the eighteenth century and for much of the next century, middle-class women rarely ventured into the public sphere without being chaperoned by a man or an older woman. A visit to the Leeds Library was one tiny step on the road to emancipation. Women could be shareholders in their own right. The talk is about the women who used the library, where they lived and what they read.

2020
Wednesday January 15th
@ 1pm


The Leeds Library and the Thoresby Society - Book Launch
Libraries in Leeds: a Historical Survey, 1152-c.1939   P.S.Morrish (Thoresby Society, 2019)

There will be a brief talk about the book, and a display of items from Ralph Thoresby’s own library. Refreshments provided.

Monday January 20th Members' Evening

1.The prints and prospects of Samuel Buck. A talk by Dr Roy Yates

2. The Leeds Bantams in World War 1. Chris Hindle will share some of his research. This will be followed up by an excursion in the Spring.
Monday February 17th

John Dixon and his sketch books from the Thoresby Collection. Peter Meredith will talk about these.

Monday March 16th 'Time stood still': Civilian and military prisons at Lofthouse Park Camp near Wakefield 1914-1919. Dr. Claudia Sternberg from Leeds University will give an illustrated talk, the last in our series of talks relating to the First World War.

Postponed because of Covid then delivered using Zoom October 19th 2020

Monday April 20th THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The Lord Mayor, Councillor Eileen Taylor, will be present.
The AGM will be followed by a lecture by the Society President Eveleigh Bradford on Atkinson Grimshaw: 'Our talented townsman.'

Cancelled because of Covid

 


1. Leeds and its History in the Central Library Collections, presented by Antony Ramm.

2. Gabriel Davis and the establishment of the Jewish Community in Leeds. A talk by Michael Meadowcroft

Missed it? or would like to Watch ?

Session 2020-2021


2020
Tuesday September 15th Joint Meeting with the Leeds Library
Anne Lister
Who was the real Anne Lister? Anne Lister of Shibden Hall, Halifax was a landowner, traveller, a maverick, a scholar and a seducer of other women. She kept extensive diaries written in a secret code. Jill Liddington, feminist historian, has worked on her diaries and gives us an insight into Anne’s fascinating autobiography. Anne was the subject of the recent television series, Gentleman Jack.

More
Monday September 21st Thomas GascoigneA Protestant work ethic? Catholicism and estate management in the late eighteenth century.

Alexander Lock, curator of modern archives and manuscripts at the British Library, will explore estate management and agrarian improvement by a Catholic C18th landowner, Sir Thomas Gascoigne 1745-1810 of Parlington Hall.
Monday October 19th Time stood still: Civilian and Military prisons at Lofthouse Park Camp near Wakefield 1914-1919.

Dr Claudia Sternberg from Leeds University will give an illustrated talk.

Wednesday November 4th
@ 1pm
the Leeds LibraryDr. Kevin Grady 'The Early Years of the Leeds Library'
 
Missed it? or would like to Watch ?
Wednesday November 11th
@ 1pm

Leeds Royal GardensEveleigh Bradford
'The most beautiful Public Gardens in England'

The Story of the Lost Headingley Botanical Gardens and Royal Park'

See More

Now on YouTube


Monday November 16th Alderman Archie Scarr: Leeds radical ’Mayor of the masses’.

Chris Hindle talks about this interesting and controversial figure 1827-1904. Described as one of the best-known men in the northern part of the West Riding, an advocator of temperance and thrift.

Missed it? or would like to Watch ?

Wednesday November 18th
@ 1pm
Nelson StreetRev. Dr. Roy Yates 'The Back-to-Back Housing Development on the Site of the Victoria Gate Shopping Complex'  

Missed it? or would like to Watch ?
Wednesday November 25th
@ 1pm
Cholera in HunsletSteven Burt: 'Hunslet and the Cholera Epidemics of the C19th.'
 

Missed it? or would like to Watch ?


2021
Monday January 18th Members' Evening
Wednesday 13th January @ 1pm Book launch for our publication for 2020

The launch will take the form of short talks introducing the articles that make up this Miscellany volume. We expect that these will include talks by Irfan Shah on “Louis Le Prince and Leeds”, Robert Demaine on “Charles Villiers Stanford and the Leeds Choir in Paris 1906”, Chris Hindle on “Hudson Sykes and Bousfield: the rise and fall of a Leeds manufacturing house” and Roy Yates on “The Tudor Reformation in Leeds”.

The Miscellany volume was posted to members before Christmas. It may have been delayed by the Christmas post, but if your copy hasn’t reached you by January 1st, please let us know.

Missed it? or would like to Watch ?

Monday January 25th Leeds - A Biographical DictionaryBook Launch for "Leeds - A Biographical Dictionary" by David Thornton

David will be giving a short talk about the book.

David Thornton is very well-known as a Thoresby Society stalwart and a Leeds historian. His book "Leeds - A Historical Dictionary of People, Places and Events" was published in 2013 and immediately became an indispensable source book for researchers and writers as well as being a book to dip into to check a fact or to discover lesser known stories. Dr Thornton has now put his lifetime of research into a companion volume, "Leeds- A Biographical Dictionary", containing over 900 biographies of Leeds men and women from the Leeds Mummy c.1100 BCE right through to the present day. This is the first time since R.V.Taylor’s Biographia Leodiensis of 1865 that there has been a single volume providing key facts and important material on the individuals who have made Leeds famous. It will become another essential reference work for historians and all those interested in the history of Leeds.

Download the flyer for the book here

Missed it? or would like to Watch ?

Monday February 15th

Thomas Nunneley 1809-1870, Surgery, Audit and Politics.

Dr. John Turney will talk on what surgery could and could not be done in the C19th and how it reflected on the dangerous lives of the working people.

Missed it? or would like to Watch ?

Monday March 15th

Workers-at-Horsfalls's-Yard-in-Hunslet-c.-1914sWorking Class Life in Hunslet, 1900-1939.

Lecture by Dr Kevin Grady to the Thoresby Society, 6.00 p.m., Monday 15 March 2021 Using a variety of contemporary reminiscences and sources, in this illustrated lecture Dr Grady will provide a fascinating glimpse into the realities of working-class life in Hunslet, Leeds’ most important industrial suburb, in the four decades before the Second World War.

Now available to watch on YouTube

Andrea Hetherington's lecture is now postponed until we are back to live lectures.

Monday April 19th

THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The Lord Mayor, Councillor Eileen Taylor, will be present.
This will be followed by a talk entitled The Place of the River Aire in the History of Leeds. Kevin Grady will trace the evolving physical character of the river and its environment and its economic importance to Leeds.



Session 2021-2022


2021
Monday September 20th A City of Shopkeepers

Eric Musgrave, fashion writer and author of Leeds Then And Now, celebrates the ways in which shops and shopping have shaped Leeds city centre.



Monday October 18th spinningSpinning through the West Riding

John Cruickshank will discuss some of his recent research, based on Bramley, Armley and Wortley in Leeds, into the pre-industrial woollen industry in Yorkshire.



Wednesday November 3rd
@ 1pm


George CorsonGeorge Corson, Leeds Architect by Eveleigh Bradford.

Now available on YouTube

 


Wednesday November 10th
@ 1pm


Dr Hook and the Oxford Movement in Leeds by Rev. Dr Roy Yates.


Monday November 15th

micrometerWilliam Gascoigne, Leeds Astronomer - or, How a spider placed Leeds at the forefront of the Scientific Revolution

David Sellers will explore the life of William Gascoigne (c.l612-1644), the first inventor of the telescopic sight and the telescope micrometer.



Wednesday November 17th @ 1pm

Alice Cliff Scatcherd, Leeds Suffragist by Janet Douglas.

Watch now on YouTube

Wednesday November 24th
@ 1pm

Joshua Tetley and the development of Tetley's Brewery by Prof. John Chartres.  


Monday December 20

Leeds blitz"Look at this - Did you see that'': Making Sense of the Leeds 'Blitz'
 
This talk from Dr. Henry Irving will explore the history of the city's worst air raid, which took place on the night of 14 March 1941.

Now available on YouTube

2022
Monday January 17th Members' Evening Part 1

Marsden medal1. Henry Rowland Marsden: his life and legacy, presented by Chris Hindle.





Watch on YouTube






Leeds Preventorium2. The Leeds Preventorium 1925-1939: shielding children from tuberculosis, but ••• presented by David Cundall.




Watch on YouTube






JMW Turner illustration3. Fawkes' Fairfaxiana, c.1815-1825: JMW Turner's Illustrations of the Past for the Future, presented by Lucy Bailey.



Watch on YouTube







Monday January 31st Member's Evening, Part 2

Burmantofts hand painted tile1. The Leeds firm Burmantofts, 1880-1914, presented by Hans van Lemmen.




Watch on YouTube






Art exhibition in Leeds Infirmary 2. Family life in a ledger 1860-1877: The records of a regular visitor to Leeds -Frederick W. Sheppard, Schoolmaster & Parish Clerk of Bardsey, presented by Margaret Moseley.



Watch on YouTube




1812 image of boxing3. Brutal exhibition' or 'Noble Art of Self Defence'? - a short history of prize fighting in Leeds 1820-1860, presented by Derek Martin.







Monday February 21st

Leeds Hyde Out'The Risk We Take': LGBTQ Histories of Leeds.

Ross Horsley looks into the lives of local lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans gender people from the 1960s to the 1990s.

Watch on YouTube

Monday March 21st

Field Marshal Lord Nicholson Field Marshal Lord Nicholson (1845-1918): From LGS to CGS

William Gustavus Nicholson was born in Leeds and attended Leeds Grammar School. He served most of his army career in India before becoming Chief of the General Staff and the first Chief of the Imperial General Staff. John Davies' talk tracks his life and career.

Watch on YouTube

Monday April 25th THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING in the presence of of the Lord Mayor, Councillor Asghar Khan.

Little Guides to YorkshireFollowed by a lecture by Alan Slomson on Joseph Ernest Morris and the Little Guides to Yorkshire.
The author of the Little Guides to Yorkshire was born in Surrey, educated in Oxford and lived the rest of his life in Hertfordshire and Devon. What was his connection with Yorkshire, and what do his books tell us about Yorkshire and the author?

Watch on YouTube


Session 2022-2023


Monday September 19th

Kirkstall Power StationKirkstall Power Station

In this talk Shaun Page will deliver an overview of the life of the now defunct Kirkstall Power Station and its impact on the Aire Valley and Burley

Postponed due to bank holiday. Now cancelled for this year.

Monday October 17th Before WindrushBefore Windrush: Black People in Leeds and Bradford, 1708 — 1948

People of African heritage have been making Leeds and Bradford their home for over 300 years. This talk by Danny Friar explores the lives of Black people living in Leeds and Bradford prior to the arrival of the Windrush in 1948.

Watch on YouTube

Wednesday November 2nd
@ 1pm


A City and its Welcome: Migrating to Leeds

by Adam Jaffer, curator of World Cultures at the Leeds Museum    

 


Wednesday November 9th
@ 1pm


Arthur France: The Driving Force of the Leeds Caribbeans, 1957 to Today

by Professor Max Farrar

Watch on Youtube


Wednesday November 16th @ 1pm

The Leeds Jewish Community: Past and Present

by Professor Derek Fraser

Watch on Youtube


Monday November 21st

Northerners: A History, from the Ice Age to the Present Day

Northeners: A HistoryOne of the foremost experts in British regional and national affairs, Brian Groom, talks about his new book, a biography of the north of England as told through the lives of its inhabitants. In a sweeping narrative that takes us from the earliest times to the present day, the book shows how the people of Leeds, Yorkshire and the north have shaped Britain and the world in unexpected ways. 

At least six Roman emperors ruled from York. The Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria was Europe’s leading cultural and intellectual centre. Cartimandua, Queen of the Brigantes, deserves to be as famous as Boudica. Neanderthals and Vikings, Central European Jews, African-Caribbeans and South Asians, have all played their part in the making and remaking of the north. Northern writers, activists, artists and comedians are celebrated the world over, from Wordsworth, the Brontës and Gaskell to LS Lowry, Emmeline Pankhurst and Peter Kay. St Oswald and Bede shaped the spiritual and cultural landscapes of Britain and Europe, and the world was revolutionised by the inventions of Richard Arkwright and the Stephensons. The north has exported some of sport’s biggest names and defined the sound of generations, from the Beatles to Britpop. 

Northerners also explores how the past echoes down the centuries, the north-south divide and the divisions between northerners, such as the rivalry between Lancashire and Yorkshire. Finally, Brian Groom explores what northernness means today and the crucial role the north can play in Britain’s future. 

Brian Groom is a writer and journalist who started his career at the Goole Times - then part of the Yorkshire Post group - and moved on to work as a writer and section editor for the Financial Times and as editor of Scotland on Sunday.

Watch on Youtube


Wednesday November 23rd
@ 1pm

The Italian Presence in Leeds from the Eighteenth Century to 1945

by Janet Douglas

Watch on Youtube


Monday December 19th

Sandstone in my Blood - Jane BowerSandstone in my Blood
 
Teacher, actress and author Jane Bower spent her first nine years at Ashwood, the fascinating Headingley home of the Victorian Poet Laureate, Alfred Austin. The talk offers humorous and poignant portraits of both Austin and Ashwood, is illustrated throughout with photographs and lasts one hour.

Please note that this talk will take place on Zoom only

Watch on Youtube

2023
Monday January 16th Members' Evening - Online Only

Voyage of the Burmantofts1. Robert Demaine - The Voyage of the Burmantofts: A Forgotten Chapter in the History of Leeds as an Inland Port

Amid the transport chaos which followed the First World War the Leeds firm of Albrecht & Albrecht devised a novel solution to deliver their goods to Europe. Drawing on photographs from the Albrecht family archive the lecture tells the story of a remarkable venture which typified the spirit of risk-taking prevalent at the time.

Watch on youtube


Leeds Leylands life2. Neil Ashcroft - Leeds Leylands' Life


A talk about the now vanished Leylands area of north Leeds in the late Nineteenth Century, focussing upon the harshness of life there at that time and the struggles of its Jewish immigrant population to escape its confines.

Watch on youtube
Monday February 20th

AIDS Crisis YearsAIDS: The Crisis Years in Leeds and West Yorkshire

Joe Tanzer and Andi Walker are HIV prevention and support workers for BHA in Leeds and Wakefield. Their talk will focus on the HIV/AIDS crisis years (1981-1996) from the perspective of Leeds and West Yorkshire. It will also cover how the situation has changed from 1996 to the present day. How was this pandemic felt in Leeds? How did local communities respond to this crisis? What is the legacy of this crisis in Leeds? What is the situation like now for people living with HIV in Leeds?

Image © ACT UP Leeds, with thanks to Mick Ward, Gill Crawshaw and West Yorkshire Queer Stories

Watch on youtube

Monday March 20th Uncontrollable Women: Radicals, Reformers and Revolutionaries

Uncontrollable WomenIn this talk Nan Sloane examines the roles women played 200 years ago when Britain and Europe were plunged in to revolution, resistance and war. Leeds women played a part in many of these events, and Nan’s talk will not only cover those who made it into the pages of the book, but also some who did not. She will also talk about her hunt for the elusive Yorkshire woman Mary Smith, sometimes said to have been from Leeds, who submitted the first Parliamentary petition for votes for women in 1832.

Nan is a Leeds-based author thinking and writing about how women contributed to the development of democracy and political organisations over the last two centuries. She has also written about the 1929 general election (the so-called Flapper election) and her previous book, The Women in the Room examined the role of women in the foundation and early years of the Labour Party.

Watch on youtube

Monday April 17th

EphemeraTHE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING


Followed by a lecture from Michael Meadowcroft exploring the many possible uses of Ephemera in the aid of Leeds research.

Please note that, while this talk will be available via Zoom, the nature of the lecture means that, if at all possible, Society members should endeavour to attend in person.

Watch the lecture on youtube





Session 2023-2024


2023
Thursday September 28th

Towards an Art Gallery for Leeds, 1858–1888

This lecture is hosted in partnership with Leeds Civic Trust

In this talk Rebecca Wade offers a short history of the long campaign to establish a permanent art gallery in Leeds. From the first attempt to instigate a civic collection alongside the opening of Leeds Town Hall, we follow a largely untold story over the course of thirty eventful years, culminating in the successful opening of Leeds Art Gallery in 1888. Across these three decades in the second half of the nineteenth century, we witness the effects of intense civic rivalry, the influence of voluntary societies and the emergence of a municipal culture that continues to inform our relationship with the visual arts today.

Dr Rebecca Wade is a Project Archivist in Special Collections and Galleries at the University of Leeds and Deputy Editor of Art History, the journal of the Association for Art History. Her second monograph, An Exhibition History of Victorian Leeds, was published by Liverpool University Press in 2023.



Thursday October 26th Berenblum and the Bari bombsBerenblum and the Bari bombs

Andy Wilson delivers a talk exploring how tragic incidents in both World Wars and the work of a young researcher in Leeds, Isaac Berenblum, all contributed to the discovery of chemotherapy.


Watch again
Wednesday November 8th
@ 1pm


The Irish in Leeds before 1914.

by Janet Douglas

Watch again


Wednesday November 15th
@ 1pm


From Laundries to Take Aways: The Chinese Presence in Leeds

by Janet Douglas

Watch Again

Wednesday November 22nd @ 1pm

The Sikh Community in Leeds

by Dr Jasjit Singh

Sorry this has now been postponed

Thursday November 23rd Proctor BrothersAnything in Wire: The History of Procter Brothers Ltd

Procter Brothers can trace their origins back to 1740 and are one of Leeds’ oldest firms. Based on her book of the same title, Andrea Hetherington will tell their story. From global events to personal tragedies this talk shows how a firm, a city and a family navigate almost 275 years of British history.



Thursday December 21st

Oates familyMerchants, Lawyers and Explorers: The Oates family of Leeds 1700 - 1917

Steven Burt will draw on his latest research to highlight the important role this illustrious family played in the development of Chapel Allerton.

This talk was on Zoom only

Watch Again

2024
Thursday January 18th

‘The Friend of Poor Children’: Dr William Hall

Janet Douglas will talk about her research into the life and achievements of Dr William Hall – a pioneer of preventative medicine and the health of children.

Postponed

Thursday February 22nd

Back-to-back-housingBack-to-back housing: Past, present and future

The first half of the talk sees Dr. Joanne Harrison explore the architectural development of back-to-back houses and their social history in Leeds, from their origin in 1787 to the changing urban layouts and building forms of the 19th and early 20th centuries. These were shaped by the role of speculative developers, building societies, sanitary reformers, the various government bills, acts and by-laws and the determined people of Leeds, resulting in in a house type that overcame all of the criticisms of back-to-backs by the time their construction was prohibited in 1909.  In the second half of the talk Dr. Harrison will focuse on the houses as they stand today in the Harehills area, and how communities are working to secure the future of their neighbourhood.



Thursday March 21st

Cricket in Yorkshire Cricket in Yorkshire: How did it all begin?

In the 18th and early 19th centuries, cricket in Yorkshire lagged well behind that played in London and the south-east, where it had been popular for many decades. Drawing on two of his books, covering the period from the 1750s to the 1890s, Jeremy Lonsdale will discuss how cricket emerged in Yorkshire and grew in popularity throughout the 19th century.

Against the background of significant changes in English society in the 18th century, the talk will highlight: the slow spread of the game in Yorkshire before 1820; the rapid development of commercial cricket in Sheffield in the 1820s; and the increased linking-up of cricketers from different parts of the county in the 1830s following improvements in transport. It also covers other aspects of the game’s growth, including changes in how it was played to make it more of a spectacle; the opening of several enclosed grounds; and the growing programme of hard-fought matches between major clubs in the 1840s. A lack of funds and leadership in the game, and insufficient high-quality players slowed developments, but by mid-century, cricket was an important part of Yorkshire life.

Cricket spread rapidly during the Victorian era. Growing expectations of what was required to be a high-performing local club, allied to the increasingly competitive spirit in which the game was played, meant clubs sought greater support from within their local communities to fund the game. Cricket became increasingly visible in everyday life – in the press, in schools and even in the courts - so that by 1900, all the foundations were in place for Yorkshire cricket to be the strongest in the country.

The speaker – Jeremy Lonsdale studied history at King’s College, London. He has written five books on different periods of the history of cricket in Yorkshire.

Watch again

Thursday April 18th

THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The Lord Mayor, Councillor Al Garthwaite, will be present.

Followed by a lecture on Godfrey Bingley, Leeds’ Most Prolific Photographer, 1842 – 1927
Middle-class life, industry, politics, religion and photography in Victorian and Edwardian Headingley, Meanwood, Leeds and the Cotswolds. Dr Kevin Grady explores the remarkable activities and family associations of this former Thoresby Society member.