Introduction

Hello and welcome to the Thatcham Historical Society website. The society exists to promote an interest, not only in the local history of Thatcham and district, but also in historical matters in general.

A regular series of talks by invited speakers takes place throughout the year. We have a wide range of subject matter in the talks by interpreting "historical" relevance very freely. Past talks have covered reports of visits to the ancient civilisations of the Middle East and South America, aspects of industrial, transport and agricultural history, as well as aspects of the local history of Thatcham and District. The latter where possible are given by speakers who are involved in local research. Most talks are illustrated by slides and some have given members a chance to identify (or guess at!) the purpose of certain historical artifacts from local collections.

We also organise a day trip each summer to a place which not only has strong historical associations, but also more general interest since we invite members friends and relations to join us. For instance Rochester, Bristol and Southampton have been visited in recent years. An afternoon guided tour of a local town or place of interest is often organised in the autumn.

However, none of this would be possible if it was not for the support of the committee, who organise talks and trips.

Copyright

All information contained on this site, unless stated otherwise, is copyrighted material by Thatcham Historical Society and may not be reproduced and/or stored in any form without prior permission of Thatcham Historical Society.

Location (Meeting Place)

Speaker meetings that the society holds, unless otherwise stated, are located at Room E8/9 of the rear block at the Kennet School, Thatcham (see blue marker on the map below).  Some meetings and events take place at different venues.  Please check the individual events to confirm the location.


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Our History

The Society was formed in 1967, with the aim of promoting an interest in the local history of Thatcham and surrounding areas. In addition more general historical matters are of interest to the society and its members. Members have differing levels of involvement with some carry out research into topics with the intention of publishing their results and others just being content to enjoy the monthly speakers and activities.

Projects

Thatcham over 2000 years.We also initiate and encouraging research into the history of Thatcham and it's surroundings. Currently we have a group working on the production of an index of maps covering Thatcham from the earliest available, indicating where they may be seen. Another group has recorded the inscriptions on Thatcham gravestones and is finishing recording those at Cold Ash. A further group has produced and published "Thatcham over 2000 Years", a chronology of events in Thatcham from the earliest times to the year 2000 (see image on the right). Copies of this book are still available.

Any member wishing to help in a project is always welcome, as are any suggestions for future research. Such involvement is of course entirely voluntary.

Speaker Sponsors

What the persons ("sponsors") who suggest and contact future speakers should do was outlined by the committee at its meeting on 13th February 1997 and updated by the committee at its meeting on 18th March 2004. The arrangements were:

  1. The sponsor should contact the speaker and agree subject of talk, date, fee (and/or other reimbursement) and any necessary requisites for the talk.
  2. When satisfactory arrangements had been made the Society Secretary should send a formal letter to the speaker confirming the sponsor and what has been agreed.
  3. The sponsor should obtain/produce a short piece (couple of paragraphs max) about the speaker and the topic of the talk suitable for publication in a ´forthcoming events´ section of local papers. This should be passed to the appropriate committee member 3 to 4 weeks before the talk, who will in turn pass it on to the local papers.
  4. The sponsor should confirm the arrangements with the speaker about two weeks before the date of the talk.
  5. The sponsor should arrange to meet the speaker at the front entrance to the Kennet School.
  6. The sponsor should introduce the speaker to the Chairman of the meeting and give the vote of thanks at the end of the talk.
  7. The Chairman should introduce the speaker to members at the meeting.

The Committee

The society is organised and run by a committee. The current members and positions of the committee are listed below:

If you wish to contact anyone on this list, please use our contact page and send an email to enquiries.

The Constitution

Title

1.1 The Society shall be called the "Thatcham Historical Society"

Objects

2.1 The functions of the Society are:

  1. To promote interest in the local history of Thatcham and district, and historical matters in general.
  2. To arrange a regular programme of speaker meetings and visits to places of historical interest.
  3. To initiate and encourage research into the history of Thatcham and district and to publish results as and when necessary.
  4. To support attempts to promote an interest in local history elsewhere in the county where appropriate.

Membership

3.1 Full membership of the Society shall normally be open to any applicant, whether resident in Thatcham or not, although the Society reserves the right to refuse membership in individual cases.

3.2 Full membership of the Society shall be dependent upon payment of the appropriate subscription, at a rate to be determined by the Society’s committee and ratified at an Annual General Meeting.

3.3 Subscriptions for full membership shall normally be due at the start of each calendar year, but may be taken out during the year (and a reduced rate allowed at the discretion of the Treasurer).

3.4 If any full member’s subscription be in arrears for three months then his/her full membership shall be deemed to have lapsed.

Facilities

4.1 Society meetings shall normally be open to both full members and to "visitors" (i.e. non-members) but the latter will be required to make payment at the current rate at each meeting attended.

4.2 Society visits shall normally be open to both full members and to visitors on payment of the appropriate fee where necessary; however, in the event of a visit being over-subscribed, priority will be given to full members of the Society.

4.3 Full members shall (as far as possible) receive the benefits applicable to members of any organisation of which the Thatcham Historical Society has corporate membership.

4.4 Any facilities or services offered by the Society may be reserved for the exclusive use of full members only, at the discretion of the Society’s committee.

Officers

5.1 The Society shall have an Honorary President who will normally be the current Headmaster of Kennet School.

5.2 There will be an elected committee comprising:

5.3 The Society’s accounts shall be examined annually by an Honorary Auditor - this officer must not be a member of the Society’s committee.

5.4 Any full member of the Society will be eligible for election to the committee. Nominations should be made with the knowledge of the nominee and must be proposed and seconded either at the AGM or in writing beforehand.

Government

6.1 The Society will hold an Annual General Meeting - this will normally be the January meeting each year. Only full members of the Society will have voting rights in business matters.

6.2 The election of the committee for the ensuing year will take place at the AGM.

6.3 The Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer are eligible for re-election but none may serve for more than three successive years in the same post. There is no such restriction on the other committee members, who are eligible for re-election for as many years as they care to offer their services.

6.4 The Society’s committee shall meet at least three times a year. A quorum of the committee shall be three members of the committee.

6.5 Ordinary meetings (including the AGM) and committee meetings shall be arranged by the Secretary but under the control of the Chairman. Extraordinary General Meetings may be convened at any time at the written request of six full members, specifying the reasons and business.

6.6 The Secretary shall give each full member an individual written notification at least seven days in advance of any AGM or EGM.

Property

7.1 In the event of the winding up of the Society, the Society’s assets shall be disposed of by an existing committee or committee members such that:

  1. The whole of the Society’s funds be granted to the Kennet School PTA for its own use.
  2. Any books and other publications be offered to the Kennet School Library.
  3. Any original documents or other written materials be offered to the Berkshire County Records Office.
  4. Any photographic and similar materials be offered to Newbury Museum.

Alteration of Rules

8.1 No new rule shall be passed or existing rule amended unless proposed and seconded in writing and then presented for discussion and voted upon at an Ordinary meeting of the Society.

January 1993