DUNSTABLE AND DISTRICT LOCAL HISTORY SOCIETY EVENTS

June, July, August. The society's summer break.

Railway Ghosts and Legends

Nick Hill, a volunteer since 2005 at the Leighton Buzzard Narrow Gauge Railway, talks about a ghost train, a poltergeist and other spooky occurrences, as first recounted in a book by his colleague Rod Dingwall.

A Georgian Benefactor

Hugh Garrod tells the story of the wealthy Frances Ashton, who was so angered by her disobedient daughter’s unsuitable marriage that she left her money instead to found a number of Dunstable educational charities - still very active today. Next year is the 300th anniversary of Mrs Ashton’s death.

The Bedford Mint and local tokens

Coin collector Simon Rowley, a former Dunstable Manshead Archaeological Society member, talks about the Mint at Bedford and the collection of locally-issued tokens assembled by Dunstable historian Thomas Bagshawe.

Changing Face of a town centre

Paul Hammond, chairman of Luton Historical Society, displays a fascinating series of photos showing how Luton’s original town centre, once dominated by horse-drawn transport and then trams, hat factories and hotels, has altered over the centuries. A buffet of festive food and (non-alcoholic!) drink will be served during the evening so, as usual for the December meeting, there will be a small charge for admission which will be by ticket only, purchased in advance.

History of the Police in Bedfordshire

Retired police officer Keith Jackson, of Dunstable, who looks after the collection of police memorabilia at the county police HQ at Kempston and who was responsible for the recent police exhibition at The Higgins gallery in Bedford, talks about our local crime fighters and how their work has changed over the decades.

Cardinal Wolsey and his Wife

History Society member Nicola Turton tells the little-known story of Joan Larke, who became the wife of Cardinal Wolsey during the years when priests were supposed to be celibate. Wolsey’s biographer was the Dunstable-connected George Cavendish.

Bent Bananas and the Macaroni Parson

The meteoric rise of a humble garden boy from Milton Bryan and the ill-fated attempts to revive a clergyman hanged for forgery. Their stories are part of David Longman’s third collection of “Tales From Bedfordshire Churches”. The talk will follow the society’s annual general meeting.

Yesteryear in the Gazette

John Buckledee has been compiling the Yesteryear photo series in the Luton News/Dunstable Gazette for decades. He displays some of the pictures, which now appear on-line as well as in the paper’s print edition, from what is now a vast collection.

Story of the Book Castle

Our knowledge of Dunstable’s past owes a huge amount to Paul Bowes, who published over 120 local history books during his 28 years as owner of the town’s much-missed shop in Church Street. Paul talks about the book business and how the cherished manuscripts of many local authors eventually found their way into print.