HAVERHILL GROUP
INTRODUCTION
A market town for almost 1000 years, Haverhill still hosts a provisions market each Friday and Saturday throughout the year. The town is a popular shopping centre, with a combination of national and local retailers lining its streets. Haverhill was recorded in the Domesday survey in 1086, but even before the English and Normans came archaeological evidence shows that both Stone Age man and later the Romans thought this valley a good place to settle. The town thrived through its textile industry notably in the 19th century when it became a significant centre for the making of "drabbet" smocks for the agricultural workers. In 1856, D Gurteen & Sons built a factory with 32 power looms driven by steam. Although they had been in the town since the 1780s, the new factory brought expansion and the town became prosperous. It almost doubled in size between 1851 and 1901, bringing new houses, factories, schools, churches and public buildings to make it a complete Victorian town. In the late 1940s, Haverhill was named an "expansion town" by the then Haverhill Urban District Council and Greater London Council. The population quadrupled between 1951 and the present time and Haverhill continues to grow, with new facilities and new housing. It is a forward looking town with a strong sense of community and an active Town Council. (Taken from the 'Welcome to Haverhill' Brochure, available from the Haverhill Library.)
CONTACT
Chairman: Alan Bumpstead
Contact by
Email
PROGRAMME
The Haverhill group of the Suffolk Family History Society meets on the 2nd Thursday of each month in School Hall, Old Independent Church, Hamlet Road, Haverhill. Meetings start at 7.30pm. In addition to the monthly meetings there are several coach visits a year organised to major record offices such as the London Metropolitan Archives/Society of Genealogists and the National Archives at Kew.
| 2009 | Title | Speaker |
| 24th January (Saturday) | Discover your Family History – with Bernard Amps. A talk, with tips and advice, at 11am – followed by research until 3.30.pm. At Haverhill Library |
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| 12th February | Research Evening (With resources for most Counties plus internet access) |
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| 12th March | Education - 1700-1900 (A look at education in Suffolk during this period) |
Nick Sign |
| 9th April | Hit a Brick Wall? (Ask for ideas on how to trace those illusive ancestors) |
Pamela & Derek Palgrave |
| 14th May | AGM + Claims to Fame (Interesting discoveries made during the course of family research) |
Meryl Catty & Audrey Gillett |
| 11th June | A Village Walk - A guided tour of Wickambrook Start 7.00pm at All Saints Church (booking essential) |
Gillian Cooper |
| 9th July | Suffolk Regiment Archives (A look at what regimental archives are available) |
Gwyn Thomas |
| August | NO MEETING | |
| 10th September | Looking at how Google is the genealogist's friend, and how to get the best from the web-sites that are available (as well as which ones are the best for what sort of information and which to avoid and why!) To held in the computer suite, Parkway Middle School |
Peter Twitchett |
| 8th October | Who Do You Think You Are? (Research for a celebrity with Suffolk ancestors - Joint meeting with Haverhill Local History Group) |
Clive Paine |
| 12th November | Open Evening (Share your interesting findings, facts and photos. Research facilities available plus internet access) |
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| 10th December | Christmas Quiz (A social evening with wine and nibbles) |
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| 2010 | Title | Speaker |
| 23rd January (SATURDAY) | More About Family History (A talk followed by research) at Haverhill Library 11am – 4pm.) |
Sheila Reed |
| 11th February | A Military Evening (Bring along your photos, medals & badges for identification) |
The British Legion |
| 11th March | F/H through Electoral Registers (More about this under-used resource) |
Eric Probert |
| 8th April | Was your Ancestor a Gardener? (It’s spring & time to sow a few seeds of times past) |
Twigs Way |
| 13th May | AGM + Love & the Law (Arresting tales of law & order) |
Fred Feather |
| 10th June | An Open Evening (Help to get you started or if you’ve hit that ‘brick wall’. Research facilities available plus Internet access.) |
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| 8th July | Village Walk (Explore Little Bradley with it’s unusual round tower church & interesting memorials - Booking Essential) |
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| August | NO MEETING | |
| 9th September | More Family History on the Web (To be held in the computer suite at Parkway Middle School) |
Peter Twitchett |
| 14th October | Prisons in Suffolk (Tough times for minor crimes! Joint meeting with Haverhill Local History Group) |
Anthony Breen |
| 11th November | Victorian Christmas (See how your ancestors celebrated the festive season.) |
Clive Paine |
| 9th December | Christmas Quiz (A light-hearted social evening with wine and nibbles) |
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LINKS
Haverhill UK - A joint project produced by Haverhill-UK and the Haverhill Group of the Suffolk Family History Society, which contains census, burials and other information for the Haverhill area.
Suffolk County Council - Information on present-day Suffolk that may be of use to our overseas members.
