Mike Higginbottom’s talk to the Edwinstowe Historical Society in June focused on the factthat  “English Country Houses are not all what they seem”. Properties age, need maintenance, and tastes change according to the era. One example was Hill Bark, a country house in Bidston, Cheshire built in 1891.  Fewer than 30 years later it was dismantled and re-erected at Frankby, 3½ miles from its original location. Inside is a fireplace dated 1527, stained glass windows by William Morris, church screen door dating from 13 th century, and a fire surround dated 1795 designed by Robert Adam, Then, there is Eltham Palace in S.E London. From the 14 th – 16 th century it was an important royal palace. In 1930 an eccentric millionaire acquired the property and extended it in the Art Deco Style.

Photos of Sherwood Forest and the Major Oak occupy a large part of Edwinstowe Historical Society’s archive, and the announcement that the Major Oak has died has been received with sadness. The tree has been an inspiration for writers, artists and tourists for hundreds of years. People from all corners of the globe have travelled to Sherwood, with children fascinated by the tales of Robin Hood and his Merry Men. Attempts have been made to preserve the tree when she appeared to be showing her age, and while some methods may have been unusual, the desire has always been there to do the best to preserve such a beautiful and treasured oak. See www.edwinstowehistory.org.uk for more information.

The new season of talks for the Edwinstowe Historical Society begins on September 16th, when a welcome is extended to Andrew Jenkins from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, who will talk about the archives and explain their historical significance.
The current photographic exhibition in the Sherwood Forest Art and Craft Centre highlights Edwinstowe’s train station. The first train ran between Edwinstowe and Lincoln on 15th December, 1896 and the last Edwinstowe to Nottingham Victoria passenger train ran on 3lst December, 1955.
People could travel to Ollerton, Nottingham and Lincoln, also Skegness for day trips (3 hours each way). The railway brought people into the village, Sherwood Forest and the Dukeries Estates.
During the first summer of operation 34,000 people arrived. The Railway station was the third largest on what was known as The Dukeries Line.

At Edwinstowe Historical Society’s AGM in May, Olwen Hawkes, Chair, thanked the members
for their continued support, and especially for making the transition to Edwinstowe House a
smooth one. During the year members had participated in St Mary’s Christmas Tree Festival,
arranged display boards in the Craft Centre, updated the website and dealt with enquiries
from Australia, local families, support for the Events Manager at Thoresby Hall and provided
information for a Post Graduate History student. Reference was made to a recent visit to the
village by a descendant of Christopher Thomson, a social reformer and artist. Committee
members accompanied the visitor around the village, showing her the places/buildings known
to Christopher during his life in Edwinstowe. More about Christopher on the website
www.edwinstowehistory.org.uk. A highlight of the year was the unveiling of two new Blue
Plaques in Edwinstowe – one at Edwinstowe Hall and the other at the old Methodist Chapel
on High Street. After many years, Shirley Moore, Vice-Chair, has finalised plans for the
installation of a plaque commemorating the site of weddings that took place in the Old
Visitors’ Centre. The afternoon concluded with a raffle and a power point presentation about
the history of Edwinstowe House, an extended Georgian country home that became a
business centre.

The Society continues to receive requests from overseas with a recent contact from a reader in the USA asking to attend one of the monthly meetings while on holiday in England. The Society was delighted to welcome the visitor to the April meeting when she explained her reason for visiting Edwinstowe, the birthplace of her 7x great grandfather who emigrated to “Mansfield, West Jersey” in the 1680’s to claim land bought in 1677 by his father.
Olwen Hawkes, Chair, then introduced Adrian Gray whose talk “Historical Highlights from Newark and Sherwood” related to lost, forgotten and mysterious places. The audience heard about a cotton mill that employed children from London, flood banks, a lost castle and deer park, a gorge dyke surrounding a village, a dam, the King’s Road through the middle of Sherwood Forest, boundary stones, prehistoric trackways, and water meadows.

At a recent meeting of the Edwinstowe Historical Society, Chris Weir presented members with a
glimpse of Victorian Nottingham. Whilst due to necessity the area known as Broadmarsh was
subjected to slum clearance, architects Watson Fothergill and Thomas Chambers Hine were
designing new buildings in the city. The lace industry was thriving and factories such as the Raleigh Cycle Co., and John Player (cigarettes) were making their mark, so too was Jesse Boot (chemist).
More changes took place with the construction of the Victoria railway station resulting in the
demolition of 1,300 houses, 24 public houses and a church. Chris explained that entertainment could be enjoyed at the Nottingham Empire, Theatre Royal and the Mechanics Institute, not forgetting a visit to the Arboretum and the Goose Fair. Riots did take place, notably one following defeat of the Reform Bill, when rioters burned Nottingham Castle.
Ryan Laviolette, the Events Manager working for the Pierrepont family on the Thoresby estate, is planning a Visitor Information Centre and requested permission to use information from the EHS website. In appreciation of the help he received from the Society some members were invited to Thoresby and given the opportunity to view the archive.

At the February meeting, Olwen Hawkes, Chair of the Edwinstowe Historical Society, welcomed members to the new venue, a choice made to accommodate the increasing membership. Olwen then introduced David Templeman who presented the second part of his talk regarding Mary Queen of Scots’ life during imprisonment.
Mary was executed by beheading on 8 February 1587 at Fotheringhay Castle, at the age of 44. She was convicted of treason for her involvement in the Babington Plot to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I. She died with dignity, wearing red to signify martyrdom.
During her 19 years of captivity, she had moved from various castles and manor houses, with her living conditions becoming more confined and less confortable, with a gradual reduction in her staff and privileges.

In January members of the Edwinstowe Historical Society enjoyed their annual lunch at the Dukeries Lodge Hotel in Edwinstowe, turning a damp, miserable winter’s day into a convivial occasion.

A number of enquiries have been received and answered, including one from Australia requesting information regarding a grandfather who emigrated there from Edwinstowe. and one from Syracuse, NY in the USA relating to an ancestor who emigrated from Edwinstowe to “Mansfield, West Jersey” in the 1680’s.

Information regarding Clumber House and Park has been added to the website (www.edwinstowehistory.org.uk), and for anyone who  wishes to learn what happened to the Russian Log Hut just click on “Trees of Sherwood Forest and Major Oak” on the same website.

Reminder.  The Society have chosen a new venue, namely Edwinstowe House, High Street, Edwinstowe, NG21 9PR.  Meetings will continue to be held on the 3rd Wednesday of the month, commencing at 2.00 p.m.  lasting for approximately 2 hours, with the programme of talks for 2025/26 remaining the same.

For many years worshippers visiting St Mary’s Church in Edwinstowe have walked on the
grave slabs laid on the floor, and probably given little or no thought to the person/persons
laid to rest. That is until a recent visitor deciphered the partly worn Latin inscription on one
of the slabs. Apparently, the tomb was for Margaret, wife of William Hayes, who died in
1670 aged 23 years. Curiously in the bottom right-hand corner of the slab is the imprint of
a horseshoe. The Society’s researchers discovered reference in the church register indicating
that at that time there was a family in Clipstone with the same name, and whose abode
was the slitting mill, at Clipstone. (A slitting mill was a watermill for slitting bars of iron into
rods, which were then passed to nailers and subsequently turned into nails with a point and
head. Horseshoes and implements were also produced.) The conclusion is that the
horseshoe in the floor is probably a symbol of the forge and slitting mill.

In November Andrew Jenkins from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission was invited
to the Edwinstowe Historical Society to talk about the history of the Commission, its work
during the First and Second World wars and work today in maintaining and preserving the
historic estate around the world. In a fascinating talk, Andrew explained that the
Commission, as part of its mandate, is responsible for commemorating all Commonwealth
war dead individually and equally. The war dead are commemorated by a name on a
headstone, at an identified site of a burial, or on a memorial, and are commemorated
uniformly and equally, irrespective of military or civil rank, race or creed. The audience
heard about the classic appearance given to the Western front cemeteries, reproducing a
similar look to English country gardens, and the print font used for the headstones.
During the past months guest speakers have introduced members to Mary Queen of Scots
and her years in captivity; Lord Byron’s screen and his interest in the theatre and pugilism;
the Landlords of working-class housing in Nottingham; Edwinstowe’s Fair; Thoresby Hall
and Park; and Worksop Witches and an American Legacy. Future talks may be found on the
web site, including David Templeman’s talk on 18th February, when he will reveal more of
the life of Mary Queen of Scots. www.edwinstowehistory.org.uk
There is no meeting in January, but an annual lunch is to take place at the Dukeries Lodge
on 21st January.
The Society participated in St Mary’s Christmas Tree Festival, the theme being “Those were the Days”. A similar theme was chosen for the photographic display in the Sherwood Forest Art and Craft Centre and is a reminder of some of the groups and societies which no longer form part of Edwinstowe village life.

Lord Byron’s Screen” was the subject of the power point presentation delivered to
members of the Edwinstowe Historical Society, recently. In the eighteenth century a
fashionable way of displaying prints was to stick them onto the wall of a “print room” or
mount them on a screen of wood and canvas or paper. Coats of lacquer were then applied.
A method known as “decoupage”. Byron’s interest in the theatre and prize fighting was
reflected in his screen, which is now on view at the National Portrait Gallery.
There are no meetings in December and January. At the meeting on 18th February the
Society welcomes the return of David Templeman whose illustrated talk relates to Mary
Queen of Scots – Part 2.