OXFORDSHIRE LOCAL HISTORY NEWS The Newsletter of the Oxfordshire Local History Association Issue 129, Autumn 2014 ISSN 14651465----469469 Chairman’s musings published by Gill & Some years ago, I chaired a conference with a high MacMillan in 1997, states: theological content. Although I am interested in the “the first Celtic peoples subject, I’m not a trained theologian. I was particularly began to arrive in Ireland, puzzled by the difference of approach between a senior though there is no and well-respected theologian and typical parish surviving evidence of a clergy. It seemed that many controversies and large-scale invasion”. The problems would evaporate if the parish clergy were New Archaeology pro- “singing from the same hymn sheet” as contemporary pounded by Graham Clark theologians. So I asked our eminent guest why there seemed to have triumphed was such a huge gulf. He explained that, almost completely, even trickling inevitably, many parish clergy are several generations down to National Trust gift of thought behind what is being taught in universities shop level. and seminaries. It’s like having a Ferrari serviced by mechanics trained on Model T Fords. But hold on, what’s this? The wheel seems to be turning again. There were always some, such as Barry In some ways it’s the same for local historians. We Cunliffe, who did not entirely buy Clark’s paradigm used to be taught that Britain was subjected to shift. Lo and behold, the idea of mass migration is successive waves of prehistoric large-scale again gaining ground, bolstered by the availability of immigration, each inundation bringing a new dominant various scientific techniques, such as archaeogenetics, population and culture. In the first half of the 20th dendrochronology, palaeoclimatology and many more. century, Australian archaeologist and philologist Vere I can thoroughly recommend a recent book on this Gordon Childe was particularly influential in subject by Jean Manco entitled Ancestral Journeys and popularising this view. Big cultural change was the subtitled The peopling of Europe from the first result of big movement of people. This view was venturers to the Vikings (Thames & Hudson, 2013). reinforced by archaeology, using methods pioneered in Germany. So we tended to believe that huge hordes of But what’s this got to do with Oxfordshire? Quite a lot, Celts left central Europe and swept across Germany, inasmuch that there are hints and question marks in our France and into these islands, displacing or eliminating local history concerning the great cultural changes and earlier inhabitants. possible population movements of the past: questions about the Atrebates of the south of the county and their Then came the 1960s and a major change in these basic strong cultural links to Rome before Britain became assumptions. Cambridge archaeologist Graham Clark part of the Roman Empire; questions about the extent was the Luther figure in this reformation. “Pots are not of survival of the British Celtic population in people” became the cry, as Clark and his followers Oxfordshire after the Romans left. Were they attacked the idea of our history being one of successive ethnically cleansed as some evidence suggests? Did waves of invasion. Clark’s ideas spread to other some Celts survive in the Chilterns above Wallingford, countries, beyond the British Isles. It was easy to see as that town’s name may hint? And in my own case, his point. Just because many Middle Eastern teenagers how come my paternal DNA, from a very long line of wear baseball caps, drink Coca-Cola and listen to very ordinary Oxfordshire agricultural labourers, is, Beyoncé doesn’t make them Americans. Clark’s against all expectations, remarkably close to that of followers argued that it was mostly the culture that Ötzi the Iceman, the mummified hunter who died in the spread, and that mass migration rarely, if ever, Alps on the Italian-Austrian border more than 5,000 happened. years ago? By the end of the 20 th century, Clark’s ideas had Oxfordshire local history naturally reflects the wider filtered down to the sort of popular histories and world beyond. There are many discoveries to be made illustrated atlases we buy on impulse at heritage centres as to how, where and why. and museums. Thus, the Atlas of Irish History Tony Hadland 1 Oxford Local History Association Newsletter Issue 129 - Autumn 2014 Oxfordshire Local History Association Officers and Committee Oxfordshire Local History News - Issue 129 Tony Hadland : Chairman Contents Page Norma Aubertin-Potter: Secretary Chairman’s Musings ................................................ 1 Liz Woolley: Treasurer and Membership Secretary News from the Shires ............................................... 2 Oxfordshire History Centre Update ..................... 2 Chris Hall: Journal Editor Berkshire Record Office Update ......................... 3 Vicky Jordan: Study Day Organiser Victoria County History Update .......................... 4 Kathryn Davies (English Heritage) Local History in Oxfordshire ................................... 5 Spotlight on Local History Societies and Malcolm Graham (ex Centre for Oxon Studies) Museums: Launton Historical Society; Philip Morris (Stanford in the Vale History Society) Dorchester HS and Museum ................................ 5 John Stewart (Littlemore Historical Society) News from the Districts: Dorchester; Bicester; Oxford; The PAS; Didcot; South Oxford ............. 6 Simon Townley (Victoria County History) Obituaries............................................................... 12 Email Contact: Publications and Research ..................................... 14 New Books ........................................................ 14 Chairman: [email protected] Local Authors: the Eureka Partnership .............. 16 Membership: [email protected] Further Education .................................................. 17 Journal: [email protected] Community Outreach by Oxford University ...... 18 Oxford Ragwort ..................................................... 19 Newsletter: [email protected] Oxfordshire Apples ................................................ 20 Study Day: [email protected] Diary of Talks and Meetings .................................. 21 Website : www.olha.org.uk ________________________________________________________________________________________________ NEWS FROM THE SHIRES _________________________________________________________________________________________ Oxfordshire History Centre Update Building Funding has not yet been secured to improve the lighting levels in our searchroom, so at time of writing 2014 is proving to be a busy year for improvement and we are trialling the use of portable desk lamps. We upgrades to St Luke’s. After two years, the repair and would welcome feedback on their effectiveness. replacement work to the stone louvres in the bell tower was completed. This has meant the scaffolding and Staff secondment fencing has finally been removed, the grounds on the One of our archivists, Chris Gilliam, is currently on Cowley Road side of the premises have been cleared, part-time secondment with the City Council until the and we have been able to re-open the pedestrian end of March. This is continuing the cataloguing and entrance gate. other project work which he started in 2012 and is part of the long-term New air-conditioning units were process to make accessible the wealth of installed in some areas of the building in uncatalogued archive resources in the March; the remaining units will have to Town Hall basement and to create a full be replaced by the end of this year. In electronic catalogue of the City archives addition, the reception floor has to be housed at St Luke’s. The History Centre removed due to an underlying damp has established an excellent working problem, so we will take this relationship with colleagues at the City opportunity to revamp our front-of- Council, which has enabled us to make house area. This means that during such progress November and December we will have to close for 3 or 4 weeks, rather than Digitisation shutting for our annual stocktaking The scanning elements of our three fortnight in January and February. projects to digitise archival resources When we know the exact dates, we will (tithe maps, District Valuation maps and publicise them via our web pages, survey books, and parish registers) are notices and flyers. We will, though, finished. We are now devising the best maintain our remote enquiry service and methods of making these images are planning a presence at the Central Library on the available to researchers. days when access to our building is not possible. 2 Oxford Local History Association Newsletter Issue 129 - Autumn 2014 World War I Exhibition Oxfordshire schools (including log books, admission and attendance registers) have been re-catalogued and In the exhibition are now searchable by place. The ongoing project to space outside our catalogue the post-1830 Oxfordshire Quarter Sessions’ searchroom we have papers continues, with the valuable help of volunteers; a PowerPoint most years up to 1850 are now on Heritage Search. presentation entitled Given the wide range of business and the number of Oxford Journal people appearing before the court in the mid-19 th Illustrated and the century, this is an important local historical resource. Outbreak of World (www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/cms/public-site/oxfordshire-history- War I , highlighting centre) newspaper head- lines of the time and Mark Priddey & Mark