Upcoming Talks
Our meetings take place at the Clifton Centre, Ashdene Road, and start at 7:30pm. No meetings are held in January, July and August.
Below is a list of our upcoming talks, but for more information please contact: Mrs Sally James (Treasurer) on 01869 243804 or email: sallyjames46@hotmail.com
16th June 2025
Poverty, Pestilence & Public Health in Victorian Britain
Dr Simon Wenham
Britain may have been the ‘workshop of the world’ in the Victorian period, but the sceptre of poverty and pestilence loomed large over the lives of many of its citizens. A large proportion of people were not only close to the bread line, but repeated epidemics decimated whole swathes of the population. This talk explores the wealth and health of the British during the Victorian period and the State’s struggle to improve conditions.
16th February 2026
The Role of the High Sheriff of Oxfordshire
John May
As John May nears the end of his year as High Sheriff of Oxfordshire, he will give us an insight into the oldest civil appointment in the country: there has been a High Sheriff in the county every year since before 1066. John's particular focus is: Hearing the Young Unheard – listening to children and teenagers who often feel overlooked, and helping to champion those who are doing amazing work with them across Oxfordshire. He will come dressed in his full regalia.
16th March 2026
St Edburg, Fact or Fiction?
Nigel Collett
The talk will cover what is currently generally known about St Edburg and discuss whether it is possible to be certain of any aspect of her history. The importance of St Edburg in the middle ages, both locally and nationally, will be outlined. The talk will conclude by placing St Edburg in the context of the 7th Century in which she lived.
20th April 2026
Highways & Byways: History of our Footpaths
Robert Evans
This talk tells the story of where people have walked - and maybe ridden - over the centuries and how that heritage has been defended and preserved. The presentation includes the larger national picture with some local references.
18th May 2026
The Gough Map: getting about in mediaeval Britain
Nick Millea
The Gough Map, one of the great mediaeval treasures of cartography, arrived at the Bodleian Library in 1809 as part of Richard Gough’s bequest, an eighteenth-century antiquary and expert on British topography. Nick Millea returns after his very successful 2025 talk to give us an insight into this unique piece of cartography from the 14th century and to update us on what recent investigations have discovered.
16th November 2026
1918 - Peace & Remembrance in Bicester
Nigel Walton
This talk will look at the events of 1918 leading up to the Armistice, and how the news of the end of the war was received in Bicester. It will consider the aftermath of the war and how Bicester decided to honour the returning soldiers and remember its fallen.