Friends of Nottinghamshire Archives-FONA

02/05/2024

We are very excited about our next meeting, 18 May, at the Archives. We will be welcoming Dr. Richard Goddard from Nottingham University who will talk about Nottingham's cave system as revealed in documentary records. It's going to be absolutely fascinating. Refreshments from 10.30am. See you there!

02/03/2024

FONA will be holding its AGM on Saturday 16 March at Nottinghamshire archives at 10.45am, followed by a talk from Val Wood, A Woman's Place is in the Archives. It promises to be a fascinating morning, hope to see you there.

21/12/2023

FONA wishes all its members and friends a very merry Xmas and is looking forward to a new year packed full of interesting talks and activities. Why not kick start 2024 by joining us on 20 January for Mark Dawson's talk on Food and Drink in Tudor and Stuart Nottinghamshire? Bring on the marchpane!

28/11/2023

'Tis the season, everyone. December is nearly upon us and we are looking forward to FONA's last meeting of the year, this Saturday, 2 December at 11.00am at the Archives. Join us for tea, coffee and mince pies and a fun look at Nottinghamshire's folk customs with Dave Mooney. Free to FONA members, £3 donation for guests. Refreshments from 10.30am.

06/11/2023

Our next meeting: Saturday 18 November at Nottinghamshire Archives. 11.00am, with tea, coffee and biscuits from 10.30am. If you like family history, you will love this. Hope to see you there.

01/11/2023

An update from Judith Mills about FONA's new book Rufford Abbey and Beyond. Estate, Villages and People. Our book, which is selling very well, is now available as either a paperback or kindle on Amazon. I'm grateful to one avid reader, Michael Jackson, who has been in touch to correct an assumption made (by me!) and provide additional information about game shooting.

On p.77, I assumed that the reference to ‘moor game’ being supplied to the Abbey referred to moor hens but have been informed by Mr Jackson that this is another name for red grouse. But it is unlikely that grouse would be shot on the Nottinghamshire Estates as they are moorland birds (as the other name suggests). The reference appears in a document dating to 1819-20 when Rufford was held by Hon. and Rev. John Lumley Savile and it is likely that he shot grouse on his family's Yorkshire estates rather than at Rufford.

An Erratum will be added to all remaining book stock to correct the error assumption. Those of you who have already bought a copy might like to update their copy.

08/08/2023

We're delighted that Lord and Lady Savile, with their Managing Agent, have accepted our invitation to attend the launch of 'Rufford Abbey & Beyond. Estate, Villages and People'. We will also be welcoming the Chairman of Notts County Council and the CEO of Inspire Culture. It promises to be a great afternoon. To reserve your place contact Judith Mills on [email protected].

04/08/2023

How exciting is this? Our latest book, Rufford Abbey and Beyond: Estate, Villages and People, is being launched at Rufford Abbey on the 18th August. Invitation attached - be lovely to see as many of you there as possible. Contact Judith Mills [email protected] to book your places.

02/08/2023

We are very excited about our latest publication, Rufford Abbey & Beyond. Estate, Villages, People, which will be available shortly. We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we've enjoyed writing it.

10/07/2023

We were thrilled that FONA's 'Savile Project' team were selected as finalists for the Inspire Creativity & Innovation Award. Judith Mills, Sheila Leeds, Bob Stoakes, Ruth Strong and Karen Winyard all thoroughly enjoyed the Awards evening on 29th June.

Our congratulations go to the winner of this category, the hip-hop musical theatre project, Mother of Tension. This production by Inspire Youth Arts team was an electrifying reinterpretation of collections held at Nottinghamshire Archives developed with assistance from Archivists Richard Burman and Jaime McMurtrie. All in all, it was a great night for FONA and Inspire Nottinghamshire Archives.

15/05/2023

May is proving to be a bumper month for history events. FONA's next meeting is fast approaching. Hope to see you on Saturday 20th May for Ruth Imeson's talk on The Travels of Richard James (1591 - 1638). At the Archives, 10.30 for an 11.00am start. All welcome.

14/05/2023

Lovely to see so many people at the History Fair yesterday. We had a grand time, hope you did too.

08/05/2023

We are looking forward to seeing you at the Hands on History event this coming Saturday, 13th May. The "new look" history fair is taking place at Mansfield Library between 10am and 2pm. Book sales, stalls, crafts and a super cafe. Plus music to celebrate the 60th anniversary of The Beatles performing in Mansfield. FAB! We'll be there, will you?

08/05/2023

08/05/2023

However you've spent this bank holiday, please consider adding to the Inspire Picture Archive's Coronation 2023 collection. It's easy to upload your photographs and contribute to this important record of our history. The website is https://www.inspirepicturearchive.org.uk/ and there are already over 30,000 photos (on lots of subjects, people and places) there already, so why not have a browse.

01/03/2023

FONA's next meeting will be our AGM on Saturday 18 March 2023, at Nottinghamshire Archives. Free to all FONA members, £3 donation towards costs is requested from guests.

Starts 11.00am. Followed by a talk by Community Archaeologist Emily Gillott: John Savile, 1st Baron Savile of Rufford, diplomat, collector and passionate amateur archaeologist.

01/03/2023

Look out for: Local History Seminar 11 March 2023 at room A18 - 19 Lenton Grove, University of Nottingham 10.00am - 12.30pm.

Judith Mills, Sheila Leeds, Ruth Strong and Karen Winyard, from the Friends of Nottinghamshire Archives (FONA). https://fona.org.uk/ will speak on The Savile Project
The Savile project ran from January 2020 to summer 2022. During that time, this volunteer group project catalogued and researched a collection of over 400 documents relating to the Rufford Abbey Estates in Nottinghamshire and their owners, the Savile family, which to that point had not been publicly accessible. This seminar will look at the complexities of working with an uncatalogued collection, give a ‘taster’ of some of the research findings and highlight the collection’s potential for further research on this important estate and fascinating family.

All Welcome. Admission £5

Local History Seminar website:

https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/humanities/departments/history/news-and-events/local-history-seminars.aspx

Local History Seminars organised by the Department of History for the 2017/18 academic year

01/03/2023

Thanks to Mike Chapman for a super talk at our first meeting of the year in January. A Short History of Brickmaking in Nottinghamshire really laid the foundation for the year ahead!

04/08/2022

Will third time be the charm for Judith Mills, Ruth Imeson, Richard Gaunt & Paul Bradshaw, the speakers from day 1 of Celebrating Heritage Together?

04/08/2022

This photo of our Day 1 Speakers wasn't properly uploaded. Thanks again to Judith Mills, Ruth Imeson, Richard Gaunt and Paul Bradshaw.

04/08/2022

Thank you to everyone who came along to the Celebrating Heritage Together event in July. We had a great time sharing some of the discoveries we've made with you all; and hearing about current research from members of the Thoroton Society. And of course THERE WAS CAKE.

12/07/2022

Thank you so much to Mike Chapman, Sheila Leeds and Peter Duke for a fascinating morning of talks at the Archives. The 3Ws got us off to a great start. Looking forward to the Thoroton day of speakers tomorrow afternoon.

05/07/2022

Augustus William Lumley Savile: A Forgotten Artist and his Circle.

FONA will be rounding off the talks about the Savile Project on Thursday 14 July with something a little bit different. Taking documents from the executors’ papers relating to Augustus William Lumley Savile as her starting point, Karen Winyard explores the life and work of an overlooked member of the Savile family. Discovering Augustus’s career as an artist and providing insights into the man, his personality and his significance along the way. Places are free but must be booked in advance:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/fona-and-the-savile-project-tickets-317530069987?aff=ebdssbdestsearch
#️SavileLumleyArt #️Rufford #️Heritage #️Inspire/NottinghamshireArchives

The FONA Research group have been looking into the Savile family and its Nottinghamshire estates, including Rufford. The details had been h…

04/07/2022

Listen out for our Chairwoman, Judith Mills, on BBC Radio Nottingham this afternoon on the Verity Cowley Show, just after 2pm.

04/07/2022

The first of 2 final updates on Celebrating Heritage Together at Inspire/Nottinghamshire Archives 9 – 14 July. On Thursday 14 July there are three talks from members of FONA’s Research Group about their recent work on the Savile Project. We have been working on a previously uncatalogued collection of documents relating to the Savile family and its Nottinghamshire Estates. The first two talks, by Sheila Leeds and Ruth Strong, explore life on the Savile estates over two periods of time: 1740- 1840 and 1891 – 1901. We’ve a wealth of stories from Nottinghamshire’s past to share with you, so come along and discover more about the villages, the tenants and their farms. You can also view some of the documents and manuscripts in the exhibition. Don’t forget to book your free place in advance:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/fona-and-the-savile-project-tickets-317530069987?aff=ebdssbdestsearch
#️Rufford #️Heritage #️Inspire/NottinghamshireArchives

01/07/2022

For the last of FONA’s 3Ws on Tuesday 12 July we invite you to hear all about a wedding. Peter Duke, President of the Nottinghamshire Family History Society, has been researching an 18th century marriage settlement that FONA purchased from an auction in Lincoln in 2021. Samuel Deverill and Elizabeth Hooton were married in Shelford on 2 June 1774. Before the happy event took place, a marriage settlement was negotiated by their families, imagine an 18th century version of a pre-nuptial contract. Places must be booked via Eventbrite. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-3-ws-woodborough-winkburn-and-a-wedding-tickets-317484583937?aff=ebdssbdestsearch
#️Shelford

The focus is on the documents themselves in these 3 short talks showcasing items purchased by the Friends of Nottinghamshire Archives (FONA…

30/06/2022

Another update on Celebrating Heritage Together on 12 July. The second of our 3Ws is a document FONA purchased for Nottinghamshire Archives from an Antiquarian Bookseller in 2016 – the Winkburn School Log Book 1877 – 1912. Come along to the Archives on Tuesday 12 July when local historian, Sheila Leeds, will be exploring the trials and tribulations of running a rural school in the early years of compulsory education as evidenced in this document. Don’t forget to book your place via Eventbrite. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-3-ws-woodborough-winkburn-and-a-wedding-tickets-317484583937?aff=ebdssbdestsearch
#️ Winkburn #️ Heritage #️NottsArchives

The focus is on the documents themselves in these 3 short talks showcasing items purchased by the Friends of Nottinghamshire Archives (FONA…

29/06/2022

A little more information on our programme of talks at the Archives as part of Celebrating Heritage Together. Tuesday 12 July features three of the documents FONA has purchased for Inspire/Nottinghamshire Archives over the last 10 years. ‘The 3 Ws’: Woodborough, Winkburn and a Wedding.’ We start by focussing on Woodborough and a talk by Mike Chapman, Chairman of Woodborough Heritage Group. In 2018 FONA repatriated a village survey, or terrier, of Woodborough that came up for sale on eBay in America. The 1660 Woodborough Terrier, with its wealth of information, forms the basis of Mike’s talk about the village during this period. Watch this space for more details of our talks on Winkburn and a Shelford wedding.

24/06/2022

In case you missed it, our chairwoman, Judith Mills, was on Notts TV yesterday, promoting FONA and the Celebrating Heritage Together event. Here's the link to watch it on demand.
https://nottstv.com/programme/notts-today-thursday-23rd-june/