Hunter Archaeological Society Centenary

inHeritage will be working with the Hunter Archaeological Society to celebrate their centenary in 2012.

The Society has a rich history of researching and conserving the archaeology and historic buildings of South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire. Over the Society's 100 years they have taken part in notable projects, including the 1930s watching brief on Sheffield Castle, and the 1970s excavations of Swine Sty prehistoric settlement in the Peak District.

During 2012, inHeritage will help project manage a range of activities designed to celebrate the Society and the importance of community archaeology. We will lead workshops on interpretive writing and exhibition production, as well as assist society members write and edit a booklet and exhibition. We will produce a free-to-use Google Sites website for the Society, the first dedicated website the Society will have, and train members in its maintenance. The new web address for the Society is - www.hunterarchaeologicalsociety.org.uk

The press release for the project is below:

Hunter Archaeological Society wins Heritage Lottery Fund support

The Hunter Archaeological Society has received £36,500 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for an exciting project in South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire: Lives in the past, discoverers for the future. Led by volunteers from the local community, the project will celebrate 100 years of community involvement in historic and archaeological research and conservation.

The project will inspire and train a new generation of ‘heritage explorers’ to continue this long tradition of amateur involvement in archaeology. The project will form part of the centenary celebrations of the Hunter Archaeological Society, a charitable society set up in 1912 to study and report on the archaeology, history and architecture of South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire. The Society is named after Joseph Hunter, one of the first people to research and record the region’s history. Joseph was born to a cutler in Sheffield in 1783.

Ruth Morgan, Honorary Secretary of the Hunter Archaeological Society says “We’re very grateful to the Heritage Lottery Fund who have awarded the Society a grant to celebrate the contributions that individuals and communities have made to the discovery of the heritage of our region. We are looking forward to telling more people about the Society during this important year in our own history.”

The Society is organising a series of events during the year with the assistance of the University of Sheffield, Sheffield Local Studies Library and Museums Sheffield. These include a Centenary Weekend, 11^th - 13^th May, with a conference on community archaeology, a reception at Sheffield Town Hall and dinner at the Cutlers’ Hall. The weekend launches a series of guided walks and excursions throughout the summer -these will be available later as self-guided trails, and there will be a special edition of the Society’s Transactions.

Weston Park Museum will host an exhibition on the work of the Society from February. Members are researching the life stories of past members and these will feature in an exhibition in Sheffield University Library in the autumn and a specially produced booklet.

Primary schools in Barnsley, Sheffield and Dronfield will take part in a project which includes digging test pits to get hands-on experience of archaeology.

You can find out more about the events and the Society at www.hunterarchaeologicalsociety.org.uk

Fiona Spiers, Head of HLF, Yorkshire and the Humber said “This is a fantastic project which will allow the community to learn about the Hunter Archaeological Society and the contribution it has made to their local heritage. Through aprogramme of hands-on events and activities focusing on archaeology and community history, people of all ages will have the opportunity to learn new skills and get involved in the heritage that matters to them.”

ENDS

Industrial Heritage Interpretation Training

Today, Bill visited Wortley Top Forge to deliver a training workshop in heritage interpretation to members of South Yorkshire Industrial History Society.


The session was one of a series of ongoing training workshops for community groups working with industrial heritage sites in the East Peaks LEADER area. This area, to the north of Sheffield, has funding for groups to conserve and interpret their industrial heritage. Bill is contracted by East Peaks LEADER to deliver the workshops to those groups who have been awarded a small grant.


Bill has also produced interpretation guidelines on producing panels and leaflets. You can download the guidelines as PDFs from the East Peak LEADER website:


How to write Lively Leaflets

How to write Appealing Panels

Hope Castleton Medieval People

Hope and Castleton Historical Societies have been awarded a Heritage Lottery Fund grant to learn about the ordinary medieval people of the two villages in Derbyshire.

inHeritage will be working with the societies to facilitate the project. We will help manage the project, provide skills in landscape archaeology, historical and interpretive writing, booklet production and graphic design.

The press release is below:

Hope and Castleton Historical Societies win Heritage Lottery Fund support

Today, Hope and Castleton Historical Societies have received £26,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for an exciting project, Digging Hope and Castleton’s Medieval History, in Castleton and Hope. Led by volunteers from the local community, the project aims to discover where the common people lived during the medieval period. The two societies are working together between now and March 2013 – and they need your help.

The project will try to find out about the ‘hidden history’ of Castleton and Hope villages between the Norman Conquest of 1066 and the Civil War in 1642. While history can often tell us about kings, lords and landowners, it is more difficult to track down the ordinary people who lived and worked in the Peak District’s villages. This is because they don’t appear in as many historical documents, most of which are about property, and their history can remain hidden.

Di Curtis of Hope Historical Society says “We are grateful to the Heritage Lottery Fund who have awarded the Society a grant to look into the medieval history of Hope and Castleton. This means we can undertake documentary research, dig archaeological test pits and survey the old routes between the two villages.”

Angela Darlington of Castleton Historical Society says “The test pits will be dug in people’s gardens in both villages during the first two weeks in July. We are looking for finds such as old pots that can show where people lived during the medieval period. Each test pit will be a metre square. We hope to dig each one in a day.”

Finds from the test pits will be shown at an open day then some will be put on display in Castleton Museum. Pupils and students from Castleton and Hope primary schools and Hope Valley College will also join in a range of activities to learn about their medieval ancestors.

If you live in Castleton and Hope and would like to find out more about the project there is a talk at Castleton Village Hall on Monday 30^th January at 7:30pm. The Societies are looking for volunteers to help with the test pits, surveying the old routeways and doing research in the record offices. If you would like to get involved in the archaeology or documentary research, or are happy to have a test pit dug on your garden please get in touch with Di Curtis, 01433 620724, dicathope@aol.com or Angela Darlington, 01433 620281, amstafford@hotmail.co.uk.

The project is managed by the two societies with the help of Bill Bevan, and the archaeological assistance of the University of Sheffield.

Explaining the importance of the HLF support, HLF Grants Officer in the East Midlands, Greg Pickup, said: "We were delighted to support this exciting volunteer-led project. It will provide opportunities for the whole community to gain new skills whilst exploring a hidden part of the Hope Valley's fascinating heritage. The project will uncover stories that have been buried for centuries, allowing people to discover how the lives of common people shaped the history of Hope and Castleton in Medieval times."

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