| Date | Subject of Talk - Speaker |
|---|---|
| Wed 28th January 2026 | “Dr. John Carr of Muggleswick” by Paul Heatherington |
| Wed 25th February 2026 | “Ted & Jack’s WW2 Service” by Robin Webb |
| Wed 25th March 2026 | “Postcards: Social Media in Victorian and Edwardian Times” by Richard Judd |
| Wed 22nd April 2026 | “Last Women of the Durham coalfield: Hannah’s Granddaughter” by Margaret Hedley |
| Wed 27th May 2026 | “Harold and Dorothy’s story: From Lyndale to Yokohama. Remembering one of the Second World War’s ‘Forgotten Army'” by Keith Wilson |
| Wed 24th June 2026 | “The Caped Crusaders – or how 200 men, one woman and a dog marched from Jarrow to London in 1936” by Anthea Lang |
| Wed 22nd July 2026 | Using the Parish Chest and other alternative resources Introduction by Catherine Meades By Member Forum |
| Wed 26th August 2026 | No meeting |
| Wed 23rd September 2026 | A Street Through Time: Three remarkable people associated with a Tyneside Street By John Heckels |
| Wed 28th October 2026 | Member Forum |
| Wed 25th November 2026 | Lead Mining in the Durham Dales By Brian Young |
| Wed 23rd December 2026 | No meeting |
Minutes of NDFHS, Consett Branch Meeting – 26th November 2025
Attendees:13; Apologies: None
Meeting chaired by: CM
The minutes of the last meeting were read and accepted.
Matters arising:
AOB:
Next meeting:
There will be no meeting in December.
The next meeting will be at The Heart at 1pm on 28th January when Paul Hetherington will give a talk on Dr. John Carr of Muggleswick
Minutes of NDFHS, Consett Branch Meeting – 22nd October 2025
Attendees:11; Apologies: J P; Meeting chaired by: CM
The minutes of the previous meeting were read and accepted
Matters Arising:
● CM gave out the Paul Hetherington books to members who had ordered a copy
● Following the information shared at the last meeting, RW has agreed to give a talk about his research
● Planning for 2026 meetings: Paul Hetherington will speak in January about one of his previous books and Robin Webb will speak in February about his research. CM is going to ask if Margaret Hedley is available to give the 3rd and final talk in her series.
● Members were also asked to consider possible topics for a group forum as these have been successful in the past. A suggestion was made about a discussion around alternative resources when researching, in particular ‘The Parish Chest’. It was agreed that CM will put together a short presentation summarising the parish chest. This will be followed by a discussion of this and other unexpected sources members have come across during their family research.
Agenda items
● CM attended the society meeting for branch representatives. This involved reporting on attendance at each meeting and a brief discussion on other branch activities. A motion was passed that next year’s meeting will be held via zoom to enable representatives of each branch to be involved without involving excessive traveling time.
● CM invited RJ to give an update on the proposed idea of research around the Company Rows. RJ has contacted the National Archives who have agreed that there may be some funding available for a number of projects around this subject. RJ said the project is now being approached from different aspects. The next step will be for members of different local groups to meet in 2026 to discuss what they would be happy to contribute to the project. Further updates will be shared with members when we receive them.
AOB
● CM reminded members that there will be no meeting in December
● RW shared a useful Irish discussion group ‘Ulster ancestry’ that he has recently come across on Facebook
● The group once again thanked Brian Page for his interesting talk ‘Forewarned is Forearmed’ given at the beginning of the meeting.
Minutes of NDFHS, Consett Branch Meeting – 24th September 2025
Attendees:12; Apologies: None; Meeting chaired by: CM
The minutes of the previous meeting were read and accepted
No matters arising
Items discussed
● CM thanked BH for his very interesting talk entitled Tokens, Tickets and Tallies: The social history of 3 tokens of the Consett area
● A reminder was given that society membership subscriptions will be due soon
● Report from Consett Heritage Initiative meeting ● The new society website went live on the 14 August https://www.ndfhs.org.uk/ RW has looked at the site and reported to the meeting that there are some interesting items worth reading. It was also mentioned that the society is looking for further pictures and stories for the title page if anyone has something suitable.
● Planning needs to be done for the 2026 schedule. The society does have a list of possible speakers but the branch are also open to suggestions if anyone has come across a speaker or subject that they think the group would find interesting
AOB
● CM shared a photo sent from Australia of a group of employees of the company including the sender’s ancestor ‘Edward Abbott’
● Paul Hetherington has published a new book – Rowland Harrison, Muggleswick’s Mosstrooper. CM is happy to bulk order these if members are interested in purchasing them. Three people would like a copy
● SN shared signatures and photos sent to her by someone wondering if the group could study them and give their collective opinion as to whether they were all the same person. The group gave the consensus that they were.
● A member of the group shared a recent connection she has made with a second cousin, resulting from an old remembered address, a saved letter and a visit to the relevant area.
● RW shared with the group that recent information he had requested from the army about his grandfather only took 6 weeks to arrive, by email, so army records are now being processed much quicker.
● JF shared information about the bombing of North Shields during WW2
● The Consett Heritage Site has an article about the remains of a local soldier killed in 1916, being discovered, identified and recently reburied.
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’
