Society events and lectures, Winter 2002/03

14 December 2002: Family Names and Local History: Professor David Hey

December's lecture had everyone spellbound as Professor David Hey demonstrated how families could be tracked to their original abode by analysing where their namesakes died in the early 19^th century. He explained how families had single ancestors from a particular place and that, in 25% of cases (and up to 50% in some areas) the family name would be locative. In his study Professor Hey uses less common names – eg in the research period those named Dyson (son of Dionysia) died in a tight area centred on Linthwaite, Yorks, strongly indicating the origin of that name. Nottinghamshire names include Gabbitas (only 26 died in the chosen period, 10 in Retford and the rest in nearby settlements), Widdowson and Daft; Footitt is from the Lincs/Notts border and Nettleship on the Notts/Yorks border. David amused the Hon Sec by demonstrating that her name (her proudly-midlander husband's family name) originated on the Essex/London border; that the President's long-distant ancestor might have borne the pet form of Osgood (Hoskins); and that the Chairman's name was too common to form part of his study! More about this fascinating area of local history can be found in Prof Hey's book Family Names and Family History. 
Barbara Cast

11 January 2003: The Nora Witham Lecture – Thurgarton Priory: the survival of the medieval fabric: Dr Jenny Alexander

It was a pleasure to introduce Dr Alexander to members again. It is difficult to believe, from the few fragments remaining of Thurgarton Priory, just what a fabulous building it once was. More than a hint is provided by the magnificent West Front, and Dr Alexander assured us there was once a south-west tower with a south aisle behind. This was not always the case in Augustinian priories, eg Newstead, which never had a south aisle, though the arrangement of its West Front fools us into believing there was one. Without archaeological excavation the length of the nave and the entire church, west to east, will never be known, but the builders of the nave were very well informed about the latest in 13th-century design and the solving of problems posed by difficult sites and budget constraints. Dr Alexander traced clear references to Lincoln Cathedral and Southwell Minster, and ranged far and wide from Staffordshire to Northumbria and Scotland for other influences.

  Even so, Thurgarton Priory exhibits some uncommon traits that set it apart from the run-of-the-mill design elements available in the 13th century. She also focused on a fabulously ornamented 14th-century ogee niche set in a re-set medieval window, now above the present altar. It still bears traces of original paint and the shadow left by a statue could be discerned. Stylistically it has much in common with the design and carving of the Easter Sepulchre in Hawton church. Architectural history is never easy to convey without recourse to some technical terms, but Dr Alexander succeeded admirably. I for one just loved 'nodding ogee with seaweed' - it all made absolute sense when you saw the illustration. Nottinghamshire lost an architectural gem when Thurgarton Priory was demolished, and the 'Jacobeathan' house built on the site after the dissolution was a very poor replacement. 
Trevor Foulds

8 February 2003: The Maurice Barley Lecture - The French Medieval Gentleman at Home: Professor Michael Jones

Michael Jones, recently retired Professor of Medieval French History at Nottingham University, delivered the 12th Annual Maurice Barley Lecture. With Mrs Diana Barley in the audience, Professor Jones’s subject was one of which Maurice would certainly have approved. Using examples from Brittany, Normandy, the Loire Valley and further south, he illustrated the development of a specifically French seigneurial architecture from the 10th century to the late Middle Ages – eg the wall fireplace appears much earlier in French buildings than in British. The tower may have a defensive function in some buildings in certain locations and at some times but, in general, it is a symbol of knightly status that recurs throughout the period in different formats for different ranks. A telling example was the case of a man classified as a knight by his contemporaries because he owned a chess set!  With slides from the humble Breton motte to elaborate half-timbered and towered houses, this was a fascinating journey through the nuances of architectural symbolism and lordly status, illustrating again that the medieval knight is preoccupied with more loftier concerns than his next fight.
 Sarah Speight