Meetings 2023

Laurel and Hardy in the Black Country

 John Ullah’s illustrated talk on ‘Laurel and Hardy in the Black Country and Birmingham’ was attended by 63 members and 9 visitors. John, Grand Sheik of the Birmingham branch of the Laurel and Hardy society, entertained the crowd with photos, stories and recollections of the famous comedians and their visits to Dudley, Wolverhampton and Birmingham Hippodromes and provided lots of lovely nostalgia of other stars of the cinema and radio era.  

The Transportation of Convicts to Australia

If you were unable to come to Peter Bates’ talk on the transportation of convicts to Australia, you missed an excellent presentation to which we had some really positive feedback from members. The crimes for which some were transported were trivial and the conditions and punishments endured both at sea en route and when they had arrived were truly appalling. It was horrific to learn that some women chose the alternative of execution by being burnt at the stake, rather than risk the perils of transportation. Women in particular had a hard time as there were so few compared to male convicts. Many were made consorts or wives of more than one man. It was also a new fact to me that the British government first began transportations to the American colony of Virginia but after the loss of the colonies after the American war of independence, Australia was chosen as a faraway place where the undesirables could be sent and forgotten. Eventually the convicts and their descendants helped to grow Australia into the country it became – a legacy to which present day Australian have mixed responses.

The History of Worcester Porcelain

 Colin Millett and his wife Frances entertained and informed us on the history of Worcester porcelain. We must have learned something because Colin did a little quiz at the end and we got the questions right (not without a fair bit of prompting though it must be said). Colin, a former head teacher, has a true love affair with Worcester porcelain and his enthusiasm and knowledge, from over 40 years as a collector, shone through, more than ably supported by Frances working the IT and bringing her own contribution through some humorous interventions. Colin has written a number of books on Worcester porcelain, its history, its modellers and painters and he introduced us to the subject through them, illustrating it with many examples from his collection.

Abberley Hall

Jo took us through the chequered history of the estate from its time as a mediaeval hunting lodge and manor house, through its various owners. In 1531, Walter Walsh was given the estate by King Henry VIII and it remained in the Walsh family until 1708 when William Walsh, a poet and critic died. It then passed to the Bromley family and went into decline until it was purchased by John Lewis Moilliet, a banker from Birmingham (originally from Geneva) who had it rebuilt. That house burned down in 1845 and new one arose to replace it. John Joseph Jones, a cotton trader from Oldham was the next owner and it was Jones who had the clock tower built, work starting in 1883. In 1916 the house became a school and the site is currently occupied by a prep school. Jo Roche was a parent and governor at the school and she told us that, despite a major fund raising effort achieving about £1 million, the school will soon close and the future of the Hall and the estate remains uncertain.

The Great Fire of Warwick

Dr White has now given eight presentations to the Historical Society over the years and her latest offering was a fascinating talk on the Great Fire of Warwick of September 1694. In her inimitable style Gillian recalled how the fire took hold and destroyed a large area of the medieval town, including much of The Collegiate Church of St Mary and her bells. The talk then moved on to the response, with central government raising a tax to help pay for restoration, how the town was rebuilt and how the population changed as a result. This was another informative and entertaining night.  

Hitting the Headlines – Memoirs of a Newspaper Editor

All were royally entertained by John Butterworth, former newspaper reporter and editor, with tales from his past career for the Daily Mirror and many local papers, including his spells as editor of the Shrewsbury Chronicle and the Black Country Bugle. John was awarded an MBE for services to journalism in 2008 and is also the author of six books, some of which he talked about on the night. He certainly did ‘Hit the Headlines’, as the title of his talk had promised.

Stafford Gaol – and how to get there

We were entertained by Steve Geale, a speaker new to the Society, with his intriguing talk “Stafford Gaol – and how to get there!” Steve has lived in the Midlands for over 50 years working in engineering and computing. In 2001 a career change led him to teaching maths and IT to inmates of Stafford and Featherstone prisons, so he was well qualified to present a review of the criminal justice system in the UK and how it had developed, before offering a number of biographies of infamous occupants of Stafford Gaol and their crimes, as well as background on the grisly trade of executioner.

Reader I married him…and him…a short history of Bigamy

Our speaker, Dr David Cox, a lecturer in criminology at Wolverhampton University, gave an informative and entertaining illustrated presentation entitled “Reader I married him…and him: A Short History of Bigamy.”David took us through some of the historic and modern legislation on aspects of matrimonial law, pointing out the discrimination against women inherent in the story, now happily diminishing. And he amused with a couple of notorious case studies. He went down very well with the audience and I expect we will invite him back to talk on another aspect of the history of crime next year.