| Date | Subject of Talk - Speaker |
|---|---|
| Wed 22nd October 2025 | Britain need not tremble by Brian Page |
| Wed 26th November 2025 | From Here to Eternity By Anthea Lang |
Minutes of NDFHS, Consett Branch Meeting – 23rd July 2025
Attendees:12
Apologies: DH, IW
Branch Meeting
Meeting chaired by: CM
The minutes of the previous meeting were read and accepted
Matters arising:
● CM distributed the books “Derwent; an Ode” by Dr John Carr, to those people who had ordered them at the previous meeting
● No further information has been discovered regarding the request regarding the Rev Thomas Jackson Storey
CM shared some of the resource books, covering different areas of research, that she had brought to the meeting for people to browse.
There then followed an active discussion amongst the members regarding both general and personal ‘brickwalls’ within family research. This was accompanied by relevant suggestions from the group as to how some of these might be solved.
AOB
The Consett Heritage group are putting on an exhibition, about the steel company, on 16th September. Further information will be forwarded to members of the group when it is confirmed.
A reminder that there will be no meeting during August.
Minutes of NDFHS, Consett Branch Meeting – 25th June 2025
Attendees:13; Apologies: None
Branch Meeting
Meeting chaired by: CM
The minutes of the previous meeting were read and accepted
Matters arising:
● A further discussion was held regarding the enquiry last month about the Rev Thomas Jackson Storey. A couple of members provided additional information about the church. It is now in a state of disrepair and the local council are taking the current owners to court because of this. The details of the enquiry were shared with BH who has recently come into possession of a large number of negatives from a local photographer. He will check for any relevant photographs as he catalogues the negatives.
● Members who attended the 50th Anniversary celebrations (RW, DH, SN) gave feedback about the day including the speakers on the day, exhibitions by other branches and the success of the Consett display. The consensus was that it was a successful and interesting day.
AOB:
CM shared some correspondence from Paul Hetherington regarding a book he has authored entitled “Derwent; an Ode” by Dr John Carr. CM read an extract from the book, which is available to purchase for a donation of £5.
CM offered to place a group order if members are interested in obtaining individual copies.
Presentation
Catherine Meades then gave an interesting talk entitled “The Bramwells of North Shields” which was well received by the group.
After the talk CM explained that the speaker booked for next month is now unable to attend. Members were invited to suggest topics for a group discussion instead. Amongst those suggested were
● Who were the ‘incomers’
● A black sheep or hero from your family history
● A ‘brick wall’ that you would like help with
The consensus of the group was ‘brick walls’. CM will bring her laptop with access to a number of online resources.
Minutes of NDFHS, Consett Branch Meeting – 28th May 2025
Attendees:9, Apologies: RW, BH, RN, BB
Branch Meeting
Meeting chaired by: CM
The minutes of the previous meeting were read and accepted
Matters arising:
● 50th Anniversary celebrations – CM shared details of the information that the group display will include. Nobody in the group had brought any further stories or information to be included. BH has kindly offered to loan the group some display boards, photographs and books for the exhibition. CM asked which members had tickets for the event – these are SN, DH and RW.
AOB
CM shared details of a query that she had received relating to the Rev Thomas Jackson, the first vicar of Blackhill. The enquirer wondered
a) If anyone knew where she might find any photographs of him or his family
b) If there was any way that she could obtain a photograph of the memorial stained-glass window that was erected at the church after his death in 1918
Members of the group discussed possibilities which CM will pass on.
Presentation
The meeting was followed by a very interesting talk by Margaret Hedley
Women of the Durham Coalfield – Hannah’s Daughter
Minutes of NDFHS, Consett Branch Meeting – 23rd April 2025
Attendees:13
Apologies: SN
Meeting chaired by: CM
Presentation
CM opened the meeting and introduced David Butler
David Butler – The 1851 Census of Durham City
The presentation covered off the changes between the 1841 & 1851 Census taken in Durham City. The duties of the local Enumerator Officers were explained and the process of checking households, delivering & collecting Census forms and the completion of the ‘Enumerator Summary Books’ reviewed.
The presentation was well received
Branch Meeting
CM – all minutes of the previous meeting were read and accepted
Matters arising:
● There are still tickets available for the 50th anniversary event. Leaflets were made available to the group. Reminder to include any dietary requirements when booking a place
50th Anniversary celebration:
A discussion then followed regarding the NDFHS event.
Sample Family & Events stories relating to ‘Consett’ were shared with the Group. CM asked the group to submit additional examples. If anyone needs help producing the information, please let us know. At our next meeting we’ll hopefully show everyone the presentation that will be used on 14th June at Brunswick Place.
AOB
● NDFHS Google Group now set up to replace the NE Ancestors mailing list. All members e-mailed with details on 23rd April
● Brief discussion held regarding archive maps from both National Library of Scotland and County Durham Archives
● CM shared some forthcoming events that may be of interest to members. See below
Forthcoming Events:
● 10th May 2025 Local History Event at South Shield Library
● 24th May 2025 Newcastle Central Library Family History Day
Minutes of NDFHS, Consett Branch Meeting – 26 March 2025
Attendees:14
Apologies: DH
Meeting chaired by: CM
The minutes of the previous meeting were read and accepted
Matters arising:
● There are still tickets available for the 50th anniversary event. Leaflets were made available to the group. Reminder to include any dietary requirements when booking a place
● BH was thanked for providing the Consett timeline.
Photo sharing:
Members of the group took turns to share a favourite family photo and explain how it had enhanced their research or provided additional questions. Some interesting discussions took place within the group, including possible avenues for helping to solve some of the mysteries.
50th Anniversary celebration:
A discussion took place regarding the various information that could be included in the branch display at the anniversary event. CM and RW shared a range of additional information and possible record sheets with the group.
The group will have a table with a wall behind to exhibit information.
The following items were agreed as the initial plan for the display
● Key points and dates to be displayed on postcards and presented as a timeline
● The population increases to be included alongside the timeline
● ‘People’ stories based on people who were injured or killed at the Consett Ironworks or individual family stories of people moving to the area to be presented on 1 side of A4 paper
● Copy of ordnance survey map of the area for 1863-1867, provided by CM, to be included in the display
● BH will loan relevant Consett history books to be included on the display table
APs
● BH to look for more accurate population numbers for 1901, 1911, 1921
● Members to attempt to put together a relevant story, if possible, and bring it to the next meeting
AOB
● After a number of issues with the North East Ancestors email group, a new email has been set up. The new name will be Durham and Northumberland Roots
● CM read out a letter from the chairman regarding a request for volunteers for the society
● CM shared some forthcoming events that may be of interest to members. See below
Forthcoming Events:
● 29th March 2025 County Durham Forum for History & Heritage. AGM meeting at Bowburn
● 10th May 2025 Local History Event at North Shield Library
● 24th May 2025 Newcastle Central Library Family History Day
Minutes of NDFHS, Consett Branch Meeting – 26 February 2025
Attendees:12; Apologies: R N, CB
Meeting chaired by: C M
The meeting was held after an informative talk by Dr John Banham entitled:
Sir Martin Hunter 1757 – 1846 “Medomsley to Miramichi”
CM opened the meeting
The minutes of the last meeting were read and accepted.
Matters arising:
● Membership renewal is now on a rolling program from the date of joining for newer members
● There are still tickets available for the 50th anniversary event. Reminder to include any dietary requirements when booking a place
● BH was reminded about providing the Consett timeline.
A discussion then followed about the branch display at the celebration event with the following suggestions being made:
● Items to be displayed vertically, using ribbons to join information
● Information to be included regarding the number of mines in the Consett area and how these relate to the population increase.
● Family stories of how members relatives arrived in the area
● Members to have a look at the book ‘Consett Iron Works: Deaths and Injuries 1850 – 1900’ by Craig Suddick with a view to selecting a couple of people mentioned in the book and writing their ‘story’. No more than 1 side of A4 paper
● BH has information about people in the infirmary that he can share
CM requested that members bring examples of personalised stories to the next meeting.
A reminder was also given to bring a family photo to the next meeting for the personal research discussion.
AOB
The trustees are planning to redo the website. This will obviously take some time. CM to give an update when further information is available.
CM is to have an article included in the magazine next month.
A member then shared a problem with their research focused on families of refugees who came to Shotley Bridge during World War II. Members of the group made suggestions of local places that may have further documents to aid the research.
Minutes of NDFHS, Consett Branch Meeting [online] – 22nd January 2025
Attendees:8
Apologies: RW, DH, ML
Meeting chaired by: C M
The meeting was held after an informative talk by Joyce Jackman entitled ‘The Parish Chest’ which discussed some of the documents and resources which can be discovered through the parish chest. A list of examples from Medomsley parish was provided and is attached to these minutes
Members may also find the following links helpful following issues raised in the discussion:
Durham Wills: https://familyrecords.awh.durham.ac.uk/nei/data/simple.php
NDFHS Wills database. This is in the members area so you need to log in. https://ndfhs.org.uk/wills/
Minutes of the Branch Meeting
CM opened the meeting by thanking KJ for organising the Zoom meeting and JJ for her interesting talk.
The minutes of the previous meeting were read and accepted.
Matters arising:
CM stated that the Society AGM will be held on 12th July in Newcastle.
Minutes of NDFHS, Consett Branch Meeting- 27th November 2024
Attendees:17
Apologies: R W
Chair: C M
The meeting was held after a talk by Julian Harrop from Beamish Museum, entitled: A Treasure of Memories. Julian shared a range of photographs, donated from the Durham Advertiser, that showed Consett and the neighbouring areas during the early 1960s. He also shared some details about the new 1950’s development at Beamish.
CM opened the meeting by welcoming members of the Consett and District Heritage Society and asking them to introduce themselves.
Minutes of last meeting: Read and approved
Matters arising:
No one was able to attend the NDFHS planning meeting on 29th October
On 12th November CM attended:
The Trustees meeting – mostly standard officer reports and discussion about the website redesign. Followed by the 50th Anniversary planning meeting.
Feedback from the planning meeting:
The event will take place at Brunswick Methodist Church, Brunswick Place, Newcastle on 14th June 2025 at 10am.
There will be a charge of £10. This will include lunch. There will be 2 speakers: John Heckels, and a talk on Norman Cornish. There will be presentations from all the branches.
A request was made for volunteers to:
● Set up the stand at the beginning of the day – SN and DB volunteered
● Be at the stand throughout the day
● Take the presentation down at the end of the day
CM made a number of suggestions of what we could present at the event and encouraged members to discuss these and make additional suggestions. The main focus for Consett will be the steel works.
BH already has a timeline which he is happy to share with members. It was agreed that the group will use this as a starting point and look at areas of interest along the timeline to build up the presentation.
Next meeting:
22 January 2025. This will be a Zoom meeting – details to follow in January.
The speaker will be Joyce Jackman ‘The Parish Chest’
Minutes of Meeting of NDFHS, Consett Branch – 25 September 2024
Attendees:14
Apologies: None
Meeting chaired by: Catherine Meades
Minutes of last meeting: Read and approved
Matters arising: None
Guest Speaker: Kevin Johnson, Membership Secretary of the Northumberland & Durham Family History Society
Kevin gave a very informative overview of the online and library resources available to members based at the Research Centre. (New England House, Ridley Place, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 8JW)
The resources consist of Microfiche & Microfiche Cabinets, covering General Register Office Indexes, Census for Northumberland & Durham 1841 to 1901, Probate and Wills & Parish records. In addition, the Centre holds 2500 Family trees which can be viewed. The 6 x Centre Computers enable members to access Findmypast, Ancestry, Family Search, The Genealogist, FreeBMD, the National Newspaper Library and other genealogy related websites. The current issue with WiFi connectivity should be resolved shortly and members will be updated via e-mail and the Society Website. The Library book shelves contain Family Tree Magazines, unwanted Birth, Marriage & Death Certificates, Shipping, Maritime and Mining records, Armed Forces information, Family History Federation & Genealogists Guides plus others.
Members can view the records by either calling in or contacting the Centre on 0191 261 2159 specifically if they need to use the Microfiche viewer
AOB: Nothing specific, however members took the chance to question Kevin on a number of opportunities identified above and how best to start. Kevin agreed to provide a copy of his presentation to help members navigate the Society Website
Last updated 17th July 2025
