The 'Ants & Nats' lectures are now being held online using "Zoom". Anyone wishing to receive an invitation to join (other than those already registered) needs to email start.david@btinternet.com as soon as possible.
Alan is a retired teacher, formerly Head of Department at Cowley’s School, Donington. On retirement, he took over the church display on Flinders, enlarging it to its present size. He looks forward to being able to make it more professional in the likely event of funding becoming available.
The talk will begin with the early life of Flinders and a brief resumee of his first two voyages to the Southern Ocean as Midshipman/Lieutenant. Emphasis will be on his third journey as Commander of HMS Investigator: his marriage prior to sailing, the findings of the voyage and subsequent travels before captivity on Isle de France (Mauritius). It will cover his eventual return to Britain, his poor health and early death in parallel with the successful outcomes of the voyage.
The talk will then explain the various attempts to bring his achievements to the fore, successful in Australia, but not so in Britain. The 2019 discovery of the mortal remains of Captain Flinders near Euston Station is the breakthrough for Britain with publicity never envisaged. The final part of the story is yet to be written with his re-burial in Donington in 2020.
Chris is a retired engineer with an interest in Lincolnshire’s industrial archaeology and the history of technology.
RAF Stenigot formed part of the WWII “Chain Home” radar system – the world’s first integrated air defence radar system, many of whose principles are still applicable today. In the 1990s it was the most complete survivor of the original 20 stations, when the decision was made to demolish most of the buildings. This illustrated lecture results from survey and research work carried out by the Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology working with English Heritage to record the buildings and uncover their story. It starts with the background to Chain Home, describes the site and its equipment, the people who worked there and the auxiliary activities. It also covers the Cold War period when the site was part of the “Ace High” NATO communications system.
Peter is a native of Grimsby, leaving Winteringham Grammar School initially for University College of North Staffordshire - University of Keele - to read for a double honours degree in Geography and Geology. Thereafter he studied at the University of Manchester (PhD in 1967). Although in 1980s he was Chair of Physical Geography at the University of Nottingham, it was the University of Reading that furnished both his first job and a longer-term post as Professor of Quaternary Geology, and where he was conferred as Professor Emeritus in 2000. He has published over 150 research papers and his first book on the Lincolnshire land holdings of the Darwin family.
Charles Darwin spent just over five years voyaging around the world in a counter-clockwise direction between 1831 and 1836. However, for most of the time he was ashore exploring on horseback the landscapes inland from various anchorages. The vast bulk of his observations concerned the local geology and not as popularly believed biology. The speaker has visited many of the landfall locations and will describe a selection of these. Reference will be made to the publications which resulted from the voyage and assess their significance.
Born in Northampton, Ruairidh Greig grew up and was educated in Grimsby, Lincolnshire. Inspired by the folk revival of the 1960s, he began to explore his Scottish family traditions and those from his local area in Lincolnshire. His initial interest in song soon extended to most aspects of folk life and folklore. Whilst training to be a teacher, in Sheffield, he became involved with the University Survey of Language and Folklore as a volunteer collector.
After qualifying, he completed a postgraduate Master of Philosophy degree on Seasonal House-Visiting Customs in South Yorkshire. Returning to Lincolnshire in 1979, he has continued to research local customs and traditions, especially the Plough Play.Plough Monday has long been celebrated in Lincolnshire, marking the start of the agricultural cycle in the New Year.
The talk charts the records of the earliest references in church records to reports of related customs in general and to the Plough Play in particular. First reported in the eighteenth century, this local version of the mummers’ play combines elements from various sources, including folk song, stage drama and chapbooks. These will be examined in more detail with regard to music, language and humour as well as noting the response of the community.