April 2010

Our Annual General Meeting

At our AGM on 25th March our secretary, Geraldine Couchman, stood down after just a year in the job due to pressure of other work, and Leslie Mustoe was duly elected in her stead. Geraldine has worked hard for us this last year and we thank her for it, and welcome Leslie to the committee. There was only one other vote required this year regarding the committee, which was to re-elect Zena Grant as Newsletter and Website Editor as her two-year tenure had expired. All other committee members have another year before needing re-election or replacement.

The most important election was for a new president. Our former president, Anne Ashley-Cooper, died early last year and has been greatly missed by the Society. We did not rush to fill the post because it required careful thought to find someone with equal energy, interest in the Society and passion about local history, and we agreed in the end on someone supremely qualified in all those areas. Who better to fill the position of President than our former Chair(woman?), Scilla Douglas? It seemed so obvious once it was suggested, and it was with great pleasure and much acclaim from members that Scilla was offered and accepted the position at the AGM.

After the formal part of the evening the Chairman announced the winner of the annual Reginald Hine Award. John Lucas, author of Phebe’s Hitchin Book which was published last autumn, stepped forward to receive his trophy, which he will be taking home with him to Wales. He makes the journey from there to Hitchin every month to attend our meetings, which makes his hours spent in research at Hitchin Museum for his book even more impressive. And so John was rewarded for all his work and Scilla conducted her first (and unexpected) official duty as President of the Society, which she did most graciously. Very happy they both looked, too!

Following some time for socialising fortified by light refreshments and wine, several members gave short talks about their latest projects, and the evening ended shortly after 10 o’clock.

Request for help with the History of the Triangle in Hitchin

Audrey Stewart, who is supervising our forthcoming publication on the history of the Triangle area, hopes you will be able to help with a photo which will appear in the book.

Audrey says this date stone appears on a house in King's Road, Hitchin and asks, "Can anyone tell me what the mark on the top line is - mason's mark, builder's initials? The 8 in the date is also quite distinctive. Any information will be gratefully received."

You can contact Audrey at audreystewart@talktalk.net or tel. 01462 453353.

Visit to St Bartholomew's Hospital, London

Our first visit this year, on Wednesday 17th March, was to St Bartholomew's Hospital, the oldest surviving hospital in London.

It was founded in 1137 by Rahere, an English churchman of Frankish descent, as promised to God following his prayers being answered by recovering from a near-death illness while on a pilgrimage to Rome. After the dissolution of the monasteries the hospital continued thanks to an endowment granted by King Henry VIII very shortly before he died.

Our tour concentrated on the administration block, one of four blocks built in the 18th century to designs by the architect James Gibbs, the other three being wards for patients (one since demolished). This building also now houses the museum. After members had explored the museum, tracing the development of medical care, we gathered for coffee in the King Henry VIII room, named because a painting of the monarch, from the school of Holbein, looks down from over the fireplace.

The Curator, Katie Ormerod, explained about the other paintings in the room. At my request she gave us the results of her research of the Minutes of the German Hospital in Dulwich into the origins of the Convalescent Home they built in Hitchin, now known as Pinehill Hospital. We were then taken by Sarah, one of the museum guides, to view the adjacent church of St Bartholomew-the-Less.

Returning to the main building, Sarah explained to us the magnificent murals painted on the staircase walls by a young Hogarth, who lived nearby, including one of Christ curing the sick at the pool of Bethesda. Doctors bring students to see the mural and to get them to diagnose the illnesses of those depicted. We then visited the Great Hall where the names of past benefactors are recorded on the walls, including the amounts of their donations. We then dispersed after an enthralling tour, some members returning to the museum for a further look.”

Stephen Bradford-Best, Programme Secretary

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Next Society meeting

Our next meeting is on Thursday 22nd April when Dr Evelyn Lord of Cambridge and Dr Joseph Elders of London will be talking to us about The Templars and North Hertfordshire , a fascinating subject which promises to make an engrossing presentation. The talk starts, as usual, at 8pm at Church House and is followed by refreshments.

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This page updated 9 May 2010