The Minories – The Characters & the Context
The next Local History Group meeting will learn about The Minories in Colchester. Max Fox will lead this meeting which will take place on April 13th starting at 7:30 pm. Max has been a Tour Guide in Colchester for 28 years, a former Minories manager for Colchester Institute and a traveller through many ruins who has a passion for history.
As ever, all are welcome for a modest charge of £2 for members and £5 for visitors. Next month the group start their summer visits, the first being to Harwich Museum on Wednesday 11th May. If you would like more information about talks or visits please contact [email protected].
The impact of the Daniell Family on West Bergholt’s development
Peter Noakes, the chairperson of the History Group, gave the February talk on the Daniell family who were so influential in West Bergholt. Daniell and Sons Brewery was the main employer in the village for nearly a hundred years. As people moved to the area for employment at the brewery, the population of the village grew.
The Daniell family were a large family with many branches that produced talented and influential people over the years. Members of the Daniell family, two of whom were in the audience, helped Peter with his research. This is a complex family tree but Peter managed to skilfully guide the audience through the generations. Peter spoke of the family’s achievements; he also reminded attendees that the legacy of Osmond Orpen enabled the Orpen Hall, in which they sat, to be built. Osmond was chief brewer at the Brewery and married into the Daniell family.
March AGM
In the group’s March AGM all committee members stood again with the exception of one who has prior commitments on Wednesday evenings. Peter Noakes, however, is standing down as chairperson. The group now needs somebody to step forward to take his place. Members were also told that more are needed to help run the group.
Peter then showed photos of the village from the history group archive and how it has changed over the past eighty years.