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Members will be telling stories linked to a personal item or photograph at Newington History Group's meeting on Thursday, April 12th, at 7:30pm in the Methodist Hall, Church Lane, Newington ME9 7J.
If you're not a member but have an interesting story or item that you'd like to share, preferably with a local link, please contact the secretary, Thelma Dudley on: 01795 842711 or Email: thelma@newingtonhistory.co.uk
The group seeks to unearth, preserve and promote the history of the village and neighbouring areas.
Annual subscription is £15 and guests (£3) are welcome.
Follow the History Group on Twitter: @newingtonhg
Richard Thompstone - Newington History Group
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What was the crime level in Swale during WWI and how did the police catch the criminals?
Historian Alan Anstee gives the answers at Newington History Group's meeting on Thursday, March 8th, at 7:30pm in the Methodist Hall, Church Lane, Newington ME9 7JT.
The group seeks to unearth, preserve and promote the history of the village and neighbouring areas.
Annual subscription is £15 and guests (£3) are welcome.
For more details contact Thelma Dudley on 01795 842711
Email: thelma@newingtonhistory.co.uk
Richard Thompstone - Newington History Group
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Hear the grisly tale of Deadman's Island at Newington History Group's meeting on Thursday, February 8th, at 7:30pm in the Methodist Hall, Church Lane, Newington ME9 7JT.
The island, off Queenborough, Sheppey, was a burial ground for convicts who died aboard prison ships on the Medway during the 18th century.
Daphne Charman gives an update on the latest shocking activities on the island.
The group seeks to unearth, preserve and promote the history of the village and neighbouring areas.
Annual subscription is £15 and guests (£3) are welcome.
For more details contact Thelma Dudley on 01795 842711
Email: thelma@newingtonhistory.co.uk
Richard Thompstone - Newington History Group
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Apart from this year's series of guest speakers and visits, Newington History Group will be organising the village's annual Heritage Open Days on September 8th and 9th and its WWI centenary event, The Battle's Over, on November 11th.
In addition, members will be on hand to discuss local history matters at Newington Village Festival on Saturday, July 7th.
A re-print of the group's latest book, Then and Now, is available after the orginal run sold out within six months. The book contains bygone drawings of Newington buildings alongside text and colour photographs of the same buildings or locations. The book, costing £5, can be boughts from Thelma Dudley or the Heritage Hub in the Forum, Sittingbourne.
NHG meets in the Methodist Hall, Church Lane, Newington ME9 7JT at 7:30pm on the second Thursday of the month, excluding January and August.
The group seeks to unearth, preserve and promote the history of the village and neighbouring areas.
Annual subscription is £15 and guests (£3) are welcome.
For more details contact Thelma Dudley on 01795 842711
Email: thelma@newingtonhistory.co.uk
Richard Thompstone - Newington History Group
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Hear about the hardships of a Victorian Christmas through the eyes of 'Navy', a Trafalgar 'veteran and scoundrel' at Newington History Group's Christmas social on Thursday, December 14th at 7:30pm.
Navy is part of Voices from Victorian London, a living history group that depicts the abject poor of Dickensian London during the 1840s. This month's event is limited to members and their guests.
Newington History Group, which meets in the Methodist Hall, Church Lane ME9 7JT, seeks to unearth, preserve and promote the history of the village and neighbouring areas. Annual subscription is £15 and guests (£3) are welcome. There will be no meeting in January.
For more details contact Thelma Dudley on 01795 842711
Email: thelma@newingtonhistory.co.uk
Richard Thompstone - Newington History Group
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Episode 4 of 5 was broadcast on BBC Radio 2 on November the 11th and features stories told by men and women who took part in the conflict both at home and abroad.
One of the stories it told was of Charles Snelling, a brick worker who was from Newington, but is named on the Lower Halstow war memorial.
The section about Charles starts around 16 minutes into the programme.
The programme mixes new songs with first-hand accounts and narrative - similar to the Radio Ballads series, which was by the same people (inc John Tams who wrote the songs for the National Theatre's War Horse.
The programme is still available to listen to again on the BBC iPlayer - for another couple of weeks.
Listen here ☞ http://bbc.in/2jZaHXp
Thank you to Richard Thompstone of Newington History Group for the information.
Upchurch Matters
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Tom Ledger, whose family is one of Newington's oldest having farmed at Wormdale for generations, will cover 100 years of farming at the meeting of Newington History Group on Thursday, November 9th at 7:30pm.
The group, which meets in the Methodist Hall, Church Lane ME9 7JT, seeks to unearth, preserve and promote the history of the village and neighbouring areas. Annual subscription is £15 and guests (£3) are welcome.
The Christmas social on Thursday, December 14th, will include Dickensian living history group Voices from Victorian London.
For more details contact Thelma Dudley on 01795 842711
Members of Newington History Group will visit Sheppey Little Theatre for a tour and talk on Thursday, October 12th.
Next month, Tom Ledger, whose family is one of Newington's oldest having farmed at Wormdale for generations, will cover 100 years of farming at the meeting on Thursday, November 9th.
The group, which meets in the Methodist Hall, Church Lane, ME9 7JT, at 7:30pm, seeks to unearth, preserve and promote the history of the village and neighbouring areas. Annual subscription is £15 and guests (£3) are welcome.
For more details contact Thelma Dudley on 01795 842711 or
Richard Thompstone
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The story of the poor people from the county whose passage was paid to help them emigrate to the colonies will be told at Newington History Group's September meeting.
The details will be given by Helen Allinson, author of Farewell to Kent, on Thursday, September 14th, 7:30pm in the Methodist Hall, Church Lane ME9 7JT. Guests are welcome (£3).
Members will visit Sheppey Little Theatre for a tour and talk on Thursday, October 12th.
The group seeks to unearth, preserve and promote the history of the village and neighbouring areas. Annual subscription is £15.
Richard Thompstone
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People who have lived in or around Newington for many years are being invited to reminisce about village life during the national Heritage Open Days weekend on September 9th & 10th.
Newington Uncovered, a free event giving visitors an opportunity to find out more about the village's rich heritage, is being held in St Mary's Church between 2:00pm and 5:00pm.
There will be an opportunity to share stories during an informal discussion, Memory Moments, which will be held each day at 3:30pm.
Organisers of the weekend, Newington History Group (NHG), hope to hear untold stories and reveal unknown details about the village. They are also hoping that some people will take along items or photographs with a local link.
Thelma Dudley, NHG secretary, said: "People often don't realise the wider importance in local history terms of a family story, incident or picture. For instance, recently someone showed us an old family wedding photograph and we noticed two oast houses in the background. The significance was that, until then, we'd thought there was only ever one oast house on the site."
The open days will include displays on Newington's Roman occupation, its Australian pioneers, Royal connections and other unique stories.
The church is the village's oldest building and historians will be on hand to show and describe details of its stunning Medieval graffiti and murals. In addition there will be history trails, children's activities and teas will be available.
For more details contact 01795 842711 or thelma@newingtonhistory.co.uk
Follow the History Group @newingtonhg
Richard Thompstone
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Newington Then & Now, a new book by Newington History Group, will be launched on Saturday (July 15th) at Newington Village Festival.
The book shows drawings of village buildings from past centuries alongside photographs of the present day locations. The artist is Peter Judges and Graham Dudley is the photographer.
Copies will be available for the special price of £5 at the History Group's festival tent on the school field from noon until 6:00pm, or contact: Thelma@newingtonhistory.co.uk, 01795 842711.
Richard Thompstone - Newington History Group
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Hear stories of historic interest based on people's photographs at Newington History Group's 'Show and Tell' on Thursday, June 8th (7:30pm) in the Methodist Hall, Church Lane.
Find out more about the group's activities by visiting its stall at the Village Festival on Saturday, July 15th (Noon-6pm) on the school field. The focus will be on Roman finds and the group will be joined by experts from Canterbury Archaeological Trust.
All villagers, and people living outside Newington, are welcome to the attend meetings, which are on the second Thursday of the month. The group seeks to unearth, preserve and promote the history of the village and neighbouring areas. An annual subscription is £15.
Richard Thompstone - Newington History Group
Newington used to be famous for its cherries and bees were important in pollinating the crop. Eric Layer will talk about bee-keeping and the insect's declining numbers at Newington History Group's annual meeting on Thursday, May 11th.
Guests are welcome to attend meetings on the second Thursday of the month in the Methodist Hall, Church Lane at 7:30pm. A 'Show and Tell' will hear members' stories of historic interest on June 8th.
The group seeks to unearth, preserve and promote the history of the village and neighbouring areas. An annual subscription is £15.
For more details contact Thelma Dudley on 01795 842711 or
Richard Thompstone - Newington History Group
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Chatham tends to overshadow Sheerness when looking at the history of Kent's dockyards, but Jeremy Thornton will explain the importance of shipbuilding on the Island at Newington History Group's meeting on Thursday, April 13th. Jeremy is a trustee of Sheppey Little Theatre and an expert on the Island's past.
Guests are welcome to the group's meetings, held on the second Thursday of the month in the Methodist Hall, Church Lane at 7:30pm.
The annual meeting on May 11th will include a talk about bee keeping.
The group seeks to unearth, preserve and promote the history of the village and neighbouring areas.
An annual subscription is £15.
Richard Thompstone - Newington History Group
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Upchurch and Lower Halstow residents can find out about Roman artefacts found in the villages at Newington History Group's meeting on Thursday, March 9th.
Details about the area's Roman occupation and the things left behind will be presented by Pauline Stevens, a local historian and former teacher, at 7:30pm in the Methodist Hall, Church Lane, Newington.
The History Group has been examining many items found recently alongside the A2 at Keycol Hill where there is thought to have been an important Roman camp.
Guests are welcome at the meetings on the second Thursday of the month. On April 13th you can hear about shipbuilding in Sheerness.
The group seeks to unearth, preserve and promote the history of the village and neighbouring areas. It organises special projects to enhance the area and works with the primary school in encouraging children to take an interest in their village's past.
Richard Thompstone - Newington History Group
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If you’re interested in finding out more about our local villages and the wealth of history in the area, Newington History Group covers a wide range of topics and meets monthly at the Methodist Hall in the village's Church Lane.
On Thursday, February 9 (7.30pm), hear the story of Rose Hill, a Gothic house built at Bobbing around 1760, and find out details of a continuing archaeological dig at the site.
Richard Emmett, of the Historical Research Group Sittingbourne, will describe how the eight-bedroomed house, which stood behind Gore Court Cricket Ground, was demolished in the late 1970s. After being unoccupied for many years, it was damaged by vandalism and fire to such an extent that locals urged the council to pull it down.
Richard will also detail the discoveries that have been made in the past couple of years during the Rose Hill community dig.
On March 9, Pauline Stevens will be talking about Roman finds at Upchurch and Lower Halstow. Guests are welcome at the History Group’s meetings (£3), and an annual subscription is £15.
The group seeks to unearth, preserve and promote the history of the village and neighbouring areas.
Richard Thompstone - Newington History Group
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The 9,000-year-old practice of beekeeping, 2,000-year-old Roman artefacts and life in 20th century Newington all formed part of a successful Heritage Open Days weekend held in the medieval St. Mary’s Church.
Volunteers from Newington History Group opened up the Grade I listed building for tours with the guarantee that everyone who visited would be shown something they hadn’t seen before - even if they knew the church well!
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Finding medieval graffiti. |
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History goes high-tech. |
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The cake stall under the stairs. |
Local historians entertained visitors with stories about the nobility and the ordinary people who’ve lived in Newington over the centuries. People such as John Blaxland, whose name appears on wine sold in major British supermarkets, Richard de Lucy, whose family came over with William the Conqueror and more recent residents, such as the soldiers from Newington who died in WWI and who are remembered in a unique Book of Remembrance at the church.
Many families also enjoyed going into the bell chamber - a dizzying trip up a 14th century narrow spiral staircase.
History Group Chair, Sue Flipping, says the weekend looks set to become an annual event.
“Many of us tend to travel away for a day out, forgetting that there’s plenty to find out about our home town. Heritage Open Days was a good opportunity to look back on Newington’s rich past and take time to explore the beautiful medieval church and especially the celebrated wall paintings.
“Plus we have some amazing bakers in the village who provided a feast of cakes for afternoon tea. It’s definitely worth doing again.”
Heritage Open Days is a national initiative where historic buildings and sites of interest open free of charge for four days in September.
If you would like more information about Newington History Group,
Sue Flipping - Newington History Group
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Newington’s bell ringers joined a ‘chorus of bells’ across England to mark the start of Heritage Open Days and to celebrate the 400 year old tradition of ringing.
Jackie, Peter, Molly and Calum are four of a regular team of ten who practise in the ancient tower of the Grade I listed St Mary the Virgin every Monday evening.
The oldest bell at Newington is believed to be from the 14th century and the other five were hung in the 17th century.
Tower Captain, Jackie Dyson says “Together they are, we believe, a lovely ring; well-tuned and heavy enough to make a nice sound but not too heavy if you are ringing for a long period of time.”
The team aims to ring for all services and special occasions such as weddings. Jackie is always happy to welcome and train new ringers and can be Emailed: geoffdyson@mac.com or call her on: 01795 842669.
Bells rang out from towers across the country as four days of Heritage Open Days events got underway.
St Mary the Virgin will be open to visitors on Saturday 10am – 12pm and on Sunday 1pm – 4pm. There will be activities for adults and children, self-guided tours of the church and, on Sunday, the opportunity to visit the historic bell chamber.
Sue Flipping
Newington History Group
Ever wondered what medieval graffiti looks like? Or why Newington has a unique link to the Olympic Games?
You can find out by coming along to the Heritage Open Days event at St Mary’s Church in Newington this weekend. It’s the first time the medieval ‘Church amongst the Orchards’ has taken part in the event and a great opportunity to wander round the Grade 1 listed building.
Volunteers will bring centuries of local history to life through displays and ancient artefacts as well as talk about their own experiences growing up in a village lived in by the Romans, visited by kings and which prepared for front line duty in WWI.
They will also guide you towards parts of the church and furnishings that are rarely seen.
Newington's bell-ringers will join hundreds of other teams around the country to ring at 6pm on Thursday 8 September as part of Heritage Open Days and some of the team will show visitors around the bell chamber on Sunday.
St Mary’s, in Church Lane, is open on Saturday 10 September 10am – 12pm and on Sunday 11 September 1pm – 4pm. Trips to the bell chamber will be on Sunday only.
Sue Flipping
Newington History Group
Spacepace
Malcolm Roots lived in Newington for more than 30 years but never realised that the F Roots whose name was engraved on the village war memorial was his great uncle.
The connection was made by researchers from Newington History Group and Malcolm was invited back to the village for a service at Newington CofE Primary school to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Frank Roots' death in WWI.
Malcolm, from Tanglewood Close, Wigmore, was the first baby to be born in Newington following the outbreak of WWII in September 1939 and lived in the village until 1971.
But it was not until recently that he realised a family member had given his life in service in the Great War. “I lived in Newington all those years, went to the village school and was even married in the church. But my parents never spoke about my great uncle when I was growing up so it's been really interesting to find out his story. As lads, we used to play in tunnels around Newington and I now realise that they were part of the WWI defences in case the Germans ever invaded.”
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Malcolm Roots at the Newington War Memorial laying a commemoration cross against the name of
F Roots, his great uncle.
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Malcolm is the son of the late Leslie Roots, known locally for being the nine times winner of the Newington Working Mens Club marathon. Malcolm, his son Daren and daughter in law, Diane, were guests at the school where head teacher, Trudi Godfrey, told pupils about Frank's life when he lived at Ellen's Place in Newington and his role as a driver in the Middle East in the war. Frank caught dysentery and died on 10 July 1916 as he was being invalided to India.
The school was also remembering telegraphist, Arthur Martin, who died in Africa on 12 July 1916 from malaria. His father, John, was Newington's sub-postmaster. Following the service, Malcolm and his family went to the war memorial to lay a commemorative cross and hold a minute's silence.
The 100th anniversary services at the school are based on the book, Newington Remembers, which was researched by local historians Thelma Dudley, Debbie Haigh and Dean Coles and identifies every man named on Newington's War Memorial. As a result, they have been able to tell several other families in Swale and beyond about ancestors many of them knew nothing about.
Sue Flipping
Newington History Group
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