Events- Winter 2024

Adult craft

Create a rag rug wreath

In person

Wednesday 27 November, 1pm

£12 per person

Refreshments included

Get in the Christmas spirit by joining us to see how Christmas was celebrated through the ages, looking at Christmas cards sent during the Victorian period and into the First World War, uncovering the business archives of Caley cracker manufacturing department and accounts of gifts given to the poor in the 1840s-50s. Spend the rest of the session trying your hand at creating a rag rug wreath whilst listening to some festive music. There will be a mince pie and mulled wine (or a soft drink) for all attendees.

All materials are provided. This session lasts for 2 hours.

Reminiscence

MOVIE MEMORIES

In person

Tuesday 4 February, 10am

Free of charge

Refreshments included

Enjoy some popcorn and other sweet treats while talking to other people about experiences of cinema going in the past. The event will start with an introduction to cinema going from the East Anglian Film Archive plus we will have a display of Nick Stone’s images of cinemas then and now. There will be a chance to see some original documents and sound recordings about cinemas across the whole of Norfolk, from the Noverre cinema in Norwich to the Pilot Cinema in King’s Lynn. Join us at our café style setting to enable you to grab a drink and have a chat about your memories.

The session will last approximately 90 minutes

History in focus

MAPS

In person event

Friday 28 February, 10am

Pay what you can (£2.50 per person suggested).

Join us for our new series of events were we will uncover documents on a particular topic. Each session will explain how to use the searchroom and online catalogue to find those documents before talking through some examples and then giving you a chance to explore documents connected to the topic in more detail. The first topic is maps.

Find out about some of the different maps which we hold in the Record Office, discover our card catalogue in the searchroom and how you can look for maps on our online catalogue. We will talk through some of the many uses for maps within our collection.

Refreshments included

The session will last approximately 90 minutes

Outrage*us archives

In person and online

Wednesday 22 January, 6pm

Pay what you can (£2.50 per person suggested).

Ever wondered when the first swear word came into use? How did the church and parish impose their sense of morality on the general population? Which insults were common in 17th century Norfolk? Join us for an evening where we uncover some documents that look towards answering some of these questions. Beware, they are much earlier than you may think!

A really informal evening, we are sure you will enjoy.

For those attending in person, refreshments will be available on the evening, and there will be a chance to look at some of the documents after the talk.

The session lasts approximately 45 minutes for online attendees and 90 minutes for those joining us in person.

History talks

Each talk will last around 45 minutes with time for questions at the end.

Rope making in Norfolk, a lost trade

Illustration from the Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1823

In person and online

By Hayden Charles

Wednesday 20 November, 1pm

Free of charge

The making of rope and twine was an important Norfolk trade which flourished until the late nineteenth century then disappeared rapidly in the twentieth leaving few traces. Ships, fishing and farms consumed large quantities of cordage, most of it made locally.

Starting with how rope is made and a summary survey of the county, we move to Great Yarmouth and Norwich for tales of town planning, ‘celebrated’ church bell ropes and bankruptcy, highlighting some splendid maps and documents from the archive.

For those joining us in person, there will be a demonstration of rope making. Refreshments will be available 10 minutes before the talk starts. Feel free to grab yourself a cuppa and settle down for an interesting 45 minutes.

Roll of Honour of Norfolk women

In person and online

By Daryl Long

Wednesday 29 January, 1pm

Free of charge

The Roll of Honour of Norfolk Women commemorates 25 women we know of so far who died in uniformed service in World War One. It was created in 2018 originating from the Forum Trust’s Somme to Armistice project. For some of those remembered, their connection to Norfolk is not apparent while for others, Norfolk born and bred, their names have, until now, only been remembered by their families.

Refreshments will be available 10 minutes before the talk starts. Feel free to grab yourself a cuppa and settle down for an interesting 45 minutes.

The Secret Lives of East Anglian Witches

In person and online

By Marion Gibson

Wednesday 26 February, 1pm

Free of charge

Marion will be talking about sixteenth and seventeenth-century witch trials across East Anglia – Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex. How can we find out more about the lives of suspects before they were labelled “witch” by their neighbours? Which types of historical document are useful and what are the surprising secrets they contain? Marion is the author of Witchcraft: A History in 13 Trials (2023) and The Witches of St Osyth (2022) as well as books about puritans, early modern women, and witchcraft in history and literature.

Refreshments will be available 10 minutes before the talk starts. Feel free to grab yourself a cuppa and settle down for an interesting 45 minutes.

Reading from the archives

SCHOOL DAYS

Online

Monday 13 January, 10am

Pay what you can (£2.50 per person suggested).

Find out about experiences of school in Norfolk over the past 200 years. Listen to extracts from both teachers and pupils included in letters, diaries and official papers. Hear the first hand accounts which lead to the Burston Strike School, and one Headteachers recap of watching her school burning following an air raid during the Second World War.

This session will last around 30 minutes.

Calming colouring

Online

Thursday 12 December, 2pm

Free of charge

Join us online for a Christmassy calming colouring session. Staff will show you some festival documents as inspiration, before having a chat and relaxing afternoon colouring in a range of line drawings from the archives.

All drawings will be sent to you before the session ready for you to print and join in. Grab a drink and a mince pie and feel free to drop in and out at any point during the session.

This session lasts for 1 hour.

Research workshops

Our research workshops to help you to get started or discover additional materials useful for your own research. All of the sessions are led by a knowledgeable and experienced tutor who will take you through each source focusing on their uses for research and how to access them. For each session, a full workbook will also be provided.

Introduction to family history

Online

Tuesday 14 January, 2pm

Free of charge

Join us online to find out how to get started on tracing your family history. Topics and documents include tips on collecting materials and memories within your immediate family, how to use census records, civil registration, and parish registers to trace your ancestors.

Want to take your family history further? See our advance workshops below. Participants will receive a code for £2 off our advanced family history workshops.

This session lasts for 1 hour.

Advanced family history- part 1

In person event

Thursday 16 January, 10am

£10 per person*^#

If you have started your research independently or joined us on our introduction to family history online previously and want to take your research a step further, this session is for you. Including a mixture of practical activities and demonstrations we show you how to use documents needed for delving deeper into your family history. There will also be original records be on display to illustrate some of the topics taught. This session will show you how to use electoral registers, marriage licence bonds and tithe documents. Staff are also happy to take questions on where to go next in research into your own ancestors.

Look out for Advanced family history- part 2 in the afternoon.

*Norfolk Archives and Heritage Development Foundation supporters can enjoy our research workshops for free. For more information and to join visit NorAH.

^#Introduction to family history participants can use their voucher code for £2 off this session.

This session lasts for 2 hours.

Advanced family history- part 2

In person event

Thursday 16 January, 2pm

£10 per person*^#

If you are hoping to take your family history further you may want to check this session. Including a mixture of practical activities and demonstrations we show you how to use probate material, school records, business records, and papers relating to the workhouse. There will also be original records be on display to illustrate some of the topics taught. Staff are also happy to take questions on where to go next in research into your own ancestors.

Look out for Advanced family history- part 1 in the morning.

*Norfolk Archives and Heritage Development Foundation supporters can enjoy our research workshops for free. For more information and to join visit NorAH.

^#Introduction to family history participants can use their voucher code for £2 off this session.

This session lasts for 2 hours.

Introduction to house history

Online event

Thursday 30 January, 10am

Free of charge

Join us online to find out how to get started on tracing your house history. We will look at how to trace the history of the fabric of your building using historical and modern maps before using census returns and trade directories to find out about the previous owners and occupiers of your property.

Participants will receive a voucher code for £2 off our advanced house history sessions. See below for details.

Advanced house history

In person event

Thursday 6 February, 10am

£10 per person*^#

Join us for a workshop on how to take your house history further. This session includes a mixture of practical activities and demonstrations to show how to use the documents needed for finding out about the history of your house. There will also be original records be on display to illustrate some of the topics taught. Find out more about tracing the history of the fabric of your building using manor court books, wills and inventories and building control plans. Plus, we will look at if your property was a former school, mill, pub or church. Staff are also happy to take questions on where to go next in research into your individual property.

Look out for our Introduction to house history sessions, details above.

^#Participants can use their £2 off voucher code from the Introduction to House History session.

*Norfolk Archives and Heritage Development Foundation supporters can enjoy our research workshops for free. For more information and to join visit NorAH.

Uncover the Past

POOR RELIEF- FROM PARISH RESPONSIBILTY TO THE UNION WORKHOUSE

In person event

Wednesdays 29 January, 5 February, 12 February, 10am

£25 per person*

This course looks at the history of poor relief, focusing on the old poor law system, the introduction of workhouses and the end of the workhouse system in Norfolk. Each session will include an introduction to the topic, a practical exercise and a chance to look at a range of related original documents. The sessions are:

Parish poor relief
The 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act and the creation and running of workhouses
Life in the workhouse and the end of the workhouse system

*Norfolk Archives and Heritage Development Foundation supporters can enjoy our research workshops for free. For more information and to join visit NorAH.

3 weeks of 90 minute sessions.