The Kirtlington Historical Society, which was founded in 1994, meets on the fourth Thursday of each month from September until April (December excepted) to hear and discuss talks on a wide range of topics, including archaeology and literary and art history as well as themes relating to political and social history. The siege of Malta in the Second World War, satirical cartoons, the Mary Rose, and the authorship of Shakespeare’s works are among the topics covered in previous years. Although the Society is mainly concerned with general history, there have also been several talks on the history of Kirtlington from the time of Victoria onwards. Talks are not aimed at a specialist audience, and interest is more important than prior knowledge: the Society seeks to show that the study of history can be more fascinating than some people remember it to have been at school. The last meeting each session is a members’ evening: this has taken various forms, but on the last occasion members were invited to speak for five minutes each about a historical character who had taken their fancy.
The Society attracts members from neighbouring villages as well as from Kirtlington, and in light of the current membership it has recently been renamed The Kirtlington and Bletchington Historical Society.
The programme planned for 2020/21 is as follows:
24.09.20 Stephen Tomkins – “The Mayflower”
22.10.20 Annette Mayer -Understanding the Irish Famine
26.11.20 Michael Shackleton – The History of Cuba
28.01.21 Marie-Louise Kerr – Oxford’s Penicillin
25.02.21 Alastair Lack – The Architecture of Oxford University
25.03.21 James McDougall – The Middle East 1918-48
22.04.21 AGM and Members’ Evening
When possible we look forward to seeing you once again in the Village Hall but, until further notice, meetings will be held via Zoom. Meetings begin at 7.30pm. Members will be sent the appropriate link in advance of each meeting. Visitors should email the Programme Secretary at shackletonuk@gmail.com for information. All are very welcome.
Payment of the annual subscription for members has been delayed temporarily.