The autumn series of Hexham Local History Society meetings commences today with a talk about the renowned early north-eastern industrialist Sir Ambrose Crowley and his revolutionary steelworks in the Lower Derwent valley, at Clockburn Lane or Lonnen. He was one of the pioneers of the industrial revolution in the North-east, as will be explained by local historian Gordon Scorer.

Non-members are also welcome to come along to the talk at Trinity Methodist Church Hall on Beaumont Street in Hexham at 7.30pm, at a cost of £2, which includes light refreshments. Further details are available from the Secretary on 01434 601237.

Hexham is well known for its Anglo-Saxon remains, centred on the crypt underneath the present Abbey church. Their mark on the wider landscape is far less clear but clues remain.

The Hexham Local History Society's treasurer, Dr. Greg Finch, will talk about the landscape of Anglo-Saxon settlement in Hexhamshire at the society's monthly meeting, next Tuesday, 17th May. Part of a wider study of the Hexhamshire landscape, Greg's talk makes extensive use of maps to focus on historical settlement and land use patterns to construct a theory regarding the nature of the early English occupation of the district.

The talk takes place at the Trinity Methodist Church Hall on Beaumont Street Hexham at 7.30pm. This talk replaces the originally planned address by Dr. Angus Winchester who has had to postpone his visit. Non-members are also welcome at a cost of £2, which includes light refreshments. Further details are available from the Secretary on 01434 601237.

King Oswald defeated the Welsh intruder Cadwalla at the famous local Battle of Heavenfield in 634. His head (or at least, one of his heads) lies in Cuthbert's coffin at Durham. Various other bits of his body are scattered across Northern Europe. How does Northumbria's greatest early Christian king come to be so spread out, when there is, and only ever was, one single Cuthbert?

Max Adams has been one of the most popular speakers at the Hexham Local History Society's monthly meetings during the past two years. He returns again next Tuesday, 8th March, to talk about his research for a new biography of Oswald, which shines a light on the origins of Northumbria. Non-members are also welcome to come along to the Trinity Methodist Church Hall on Beaumont Street Hexham at 7.30pm, at a cost of £2, which includes light refreshments. Further details are available from the Secretary on 01434 601237.

A record turnout of more than 120 people were present to hear the first talk of the Hexham Local History Society's 2011 season last month. Andy Bates, a skilled leatherworker who is helping to revive this ancient craft in the town, gave an interesting account of the history of the leather trades in Hexham. The suitability of the surrounding land for raising cattle and sheep, the presence of fast flowing streams for washing hides and skins, and the archaeological discovery of ancient handtools, led Andy to suggest that leather working in the area had origins back in prehistoric times. It was of importance to the local economy long before the more recent period, from the 17th century onwards, for which we have good documentary evidence. He highlighted the 'Hexham Tans' the gloves for which the town was famous, and the decline of the widespread hand stitching cottage industry during the 1800s.

The Society's next talk takes place at Trinity Methodist Church Hall on Beaumont St. at 7.30pm on Tuesday, Feb 8th, when Professor Peter Rushton of Sunderland University will cover 'Dangerous Words: Sedition in the Anglo-American Atlantic World, 1600-1776'. Drunken Jacobites, disappointed Cromwellians, rebellious Americans, and revolutionary enthusiasts - all were prosecuted for uttering seditious words in the 17th and 18th centuries. Professor Rushton's exploration of sedition seeks to establish what ordinary people thought of their governments in the past. Visitors are welcome, at a price of £2, which includes light refreshments. Further details are available from the Secretary on 01434 601237

Anna Rossiter, teacher and historian, chaired the Hexham Local History Society, and edited its annual journal, the Hexham Historian, for many years. During this time she undertook detailed research into the town's parish registers, probate documents, manor court rolls and other original material to write her Master's thesis on the town in the 17th century. As the 3rd anniversary of her tragically early death approaches we decided to honour her contribution to the civic life of the town by publishing her thesis in book form.

Hexham in the Seventeenth Century is out now. This meticulous and fully indexed work, supported by maps and many figures, tables and illustrations, represents a great advance in our understanding of Hexham during a very interesting period in its development, and adds considerably to the body of our knowledge of smaller market towns before the Industrial Revolution. It contains short biographies of many of the leading townspeople of the period and will therefore be of great interest to family historians with Hexham ancestors. Copies are available from Hexham bookshops and direct from the Society's online shop.

We're told that exports are the key to Britain's slow climb out of recession. Here in the Hexham Local History Society we're pleased to be doing our little bit through our new online shop, set up for us by Talking Hat Associates (http://www.talkinghat.co.uk/). This is well stocked with the many publications produced by the Society over the past twenty years: books on many aspects of the town's history and it's leading personalities, and our annual journal 'Hexham Historian'.

Ted Wall, who looks after our publication sales, has long been used to a constant stream of postal requests, but the online shop makes it much easier for people to buy. And now that Paypal can be used as a means of payment we have found a sudden surge of interest from overseas. The Society's website has registered hits from all continents, including a curious level of interest from the Ivory Coast (!) and this is now being translated into export earnings from shop sales. While an internet presence and selling capability is vital, it is the content that sells, of course. See for yourself what's on offer at http://hexhamhistorian.org/pages/shop.php. Always open!

Life in Hexham in the early 18th century is brought to life vividly in a great collection of more than 160 letters written by the Reverend George Ritschel and his successor, the Reverend Thomas Andrews, to their superiors in York. The letters are now preserved at the Borthwick Institute for Archives in York, but Society members Liz Sobell and Greg Finch were permitted to photograph them last year. Ritschel was at loggerheads with most of Hexham's leading townspeople, and gave free rein to his caustic opinions. Letters from both men detail the misdemeanours of their parishioners, at a time when the church still attempted to exercise moral judgement over the public through its courts.

The Society now plans to transcribe the letters with a view to producing a fully edited publication in due course, and would be interested to hear from anyone who might wish to help. The vast majority of the handwriting is quite legible, especially once a reader has 'got their eye in' with some of the contemporary lettering, and in any case we would aim to provide some 'crib sheets' if needed. For practical purposes having a computer which can display digital photographs, an email account, and being familiar with Open Office or MS Word, will be essential. If you are interested in being part of a team to take forward what should be a fascinating project, please contact the Society at the following email address: gregpfinch@hotmail.com

Last Tuesday saw the culmination of this year's programme of talks and visits organised by the Hexham Local History Society. A packed hall at the Trinity Methodist Church Hall on Beaumont Street witnessed with great interest Dr Anthony Hellens' illustrated talk on the high ranking German prisoners of war held at Featherstone Camp during and after World War Two. Our programme secretary Liz Sobell has organised a varied programme this year ranging from the Bronze Age to the 20th century, and Charlotte Coxon organised three sell-out summer excursions.

The Society now looks forward to 2010. In addition to the talks and visits which will be confirmed in December we have some interesting publication projects underway focusing on new research into the medieval and early modern history of the town. One of the most exciting recent developments has been our new website which allows us to start making available a great range of new material to members and contains an online shop containing the Society's publications.

Hexham has a fascinating history, and not all of it has been told yet. We're trying to do something about that, and our intention is that some of our plans and findings will be highlighted through this blog. We always welcome new members. Details can be found on the website.