YORKSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL & HISTORICAL SOCIETY INDUSTRIAL HISTORY SECTION NEWSLETTER 105 WINTER/EARLY SPRING 2019 (website edition) EDITORIAL I start this Newsletter with an apology for the slight delay in the Newsletter production and its format. I am still coming to terms with the loss of my friend and long term IHS member Robert Vickers who for many years had helped me in the final layout of the Newsletter. Robert suddenly passed away on 7 December 2018; he had been suffering from pulmonary fibrosis which had been diagnosed early in 2018. Unfortunately there is no cure for this but the condition can be managed with medication and exercise and we were all hoping that he would have been with us for longer. His condition had worsened by late autumn and he was in the process of handing over some of his responsibilities when he developed a chest infection and died within two days. At his request there was a private cremation but there has been suggestion that something should be done to remember him and his work for the Industrial History Section and the wider Society in a way that can bring friends and colleagues together, possibly a memorial lecture or some other event. I’ll keep you informed about this. If you havn’t seen it, IHS member and YAHS President Gill Cookson has written a blog on the YAHS website to commemorate him. Unfortunately since I produced Newsletter 104 in early September, I experienced several problems with my health which involved two prolonged spells in hospital and several follow up outpatient appointments. This resulted in me not being able to attend any of the first half of the 2018/19 lecture programme (although one was a result of a clash of dates). Having stood down as Chair at the 2018 AGM it did mean I had less responsibility to be present, although I was still Vice Chair so I was grateful to Bill Jagger who was able to introduce the lectures when Robert was also unable to attend. Robert was also our Membership Secretary, managed the email contact list, tidied up the format of the Newsletter and distributed it to members, was actively involved in the Industrial History Online project, the Society’s Promotion and Website groups and our Section rep on the meetings between the Sections and Society Officers. This shows the enormous contribution he made to the running of the Section and main Society and how he will be missed. His passing has led to the setting up of temporary arrangements to keep the Section running until the AGM in April. Bill Jagger will continue as temporary Chair, John Suter will oversee the email contact list, Gill Eastabrook will help with the Newsletter distribution, Nick Nelson continues as Treasurer and will take on Membership, Jane Ellis continues as Lecture Programme Secretary and I will continue to write the Newsletter but have decided to step down as Vice Chair. The positions will be reviewed at the AGM, so please think about how you can help the Section going forward so that its future can be guaranteed. Turning to other things - a reminder that for the 2018/19 programme we introduced an extra lecture to start the season in September and continue to look for other opportunities to enhance the benefits of being a member whether your membership is additional to a main Society membership or for the Industrial History Section only. IHS members are welcome to attend meetings of the other special Interest Sections usually having to pay a small donation – details can be found on the YAHS website or in the hard copy Programme of Events. Members also have access rights to the collections at the Brotherton Library depending on their level of membership, again details are available on the website and you are eligible for a discount on the cost of attending the AIA Conference. There are also excursions and the occasional day schools on aspects of industrial history. Collaboration with other organisations could be a possibility, for example the West Yorkshire Archaeology Service are aware of potential development threats in the Holbeck area and members may be able to help with research, photography etc. If anyone has other ideas on how the membership package can be enhanced please let me know – contact details as usual at the end of the newsletter. Finally a reminder that subscriptions were due at the beginning of January; main Society members pay via the Society Treasurer, since we still do not have a Society Membership Secretary. Section members should contact Nick Nelson. The next Newsletter will be produced after the AGM in April, please let me have any news/articles etc. as soon as you can. Margaret Tylee YAHS HIS Newsletter No 105 YAHS NEWS Many members were sad to see the Society leave its home for many years at Claremont but we have settled in well at Stringer House in Hunslet with its comfortable surroundings, several meeting rooms and a central space where people can meet and make use of the refreshment facilities. One of the benefits of not having to spend the Society’s resources on owning and maintaining an old building with all its practical problems and costs has meant that the Society can look for other ways in which it can support its aims of stimulating the study of Yorkshire’s past through the promotion of events and publishing reports and studies into the history and archaeology of the county. As mentioned in the last Newsletter, a Grants Fund has been re-established for the purpose of providing support for research, excavations and publications furthering the knowledge of the historic county of Yorkshire. The Society is now in the process of establishing two Fellowships based at the University of Leeds which are intended to increase the knowledge and understanding of our collections. Funding of £5,000 will allow four weeks research time for two people based in Special Collections. On completion the Research Fellows will be required to write a short report and write a blog post to promote the collection and their research which will be posted on the YAHS and Leeds University websites. The aim is to carry out the research before the end of September 2019. The Management Board has also agreed to part fund further digitisation of its publications. To date the YAJ vols 1-82 and Wakefield Court Rolls vols 1-15 are available online. The YAHS Record Series, Early Yorkshire Charters, Extra Series and Occasional Papers together with volumes from the Roman Antiquities Committee are being prepared for digitisation and will proceed once funding is in place. An application to the Marc Fitch Fund is being prepared for part funding. For more details and access please see the website. Management Board member David Brears has been working hard to produce a new Newsletter for the Society. After the Society has spent several years trying to come up with a replacement for Update, David has produced an impressive publication called Briefing its format is part way between a newsletter and a journal containing information and articles. It is available primarily online to save costs but hard copies are available for those who require it. Briefing 2 will shortly be available and David already has material for the next issue. The plan is to aim for at least two issues a year depending on availability of content and finance. Contributions are welcome. The Society’s flagship project for 2018 celebrating the life and work of Marie Hartley and Joan Ingleby and their book Life and Tradition in the Yorkshire Dales came to an end in December. First suggested by Kirsty McHugh and with the help of Paul White, both who moved away from Yorkshire at the beginning of 2018. We were then lucky to have the offer of help from Section member David Johnson who took on the task of liaising with the Dales Countryside Museum in Hawes, who hold a collection of Hartley and Ingleby’s material and arranging events throughout the year. 50 events were held, together with an exhibition displayed at the Dales Countryside Museum and subsequently at the Folly in Settle. Seven events had to be cancelled due to either lack of booking, unavailability of the external organiser or in the case of sheep washing the unavailability of water. It was unfortunate that very few YAHS members attended, but overall and particularly by the Dales Countryside Museum, it was judged a success. The book has proved very popular and will continue to sell, raising the profile of the Society to a wider audience. The Promotions Group is now considering activities and events for 2019/2010. If any member has suggestions please let me know, contact details as usual at the end of the Newsletter. However please remember that we only have very limited resources to arrange and attend events, so offers of help are always welcome Section Member Adrian Bailey is researching industrial unrest which took place at Leeds Forges in January/February 1909. If any member can provide any information please contact Adrian. 2 YAHS HIS Newsletter No 105 OTHER NEWS The Newcomen Society grew out of the centenary of the death of James Watt in 1919 and to celebrate its 100 years the Society will be holding many celebratory events in 2019, the main events will be in London and Birmingham but there will also be regional events. There will be a Day School at Kelham Island Museum Sheffield on the theme of Bramah and Maudsley and their influences on the birth of precision engineering and the likely date is 19 October.