For our April 2023 meeting we welcomed Gill Marchant who shared with us some research that she and her husband had been doing into the history of the Stowmarket National School. The Victorian era saw the birth of the educational system as we know it. Stowupland’s first purpose built school for the education of its local children was built in 1865, though Sunday Schools had been instructing children and possibly some adults for some decades before that. To find out what we do know about our first school see Our Primary School.
You can read our Newletter No 15 (published in Telstar 363) for a brief overview of Hannah Salmon’s February talk based on her PhD thesis on the history of medieval disputes concerning the market in Stowmarket. We also looked at some occupations that were mentioned in an 1869 directory. Stowupland at that period had many more residents who were actively engaged in farming for their livelihoods. Today while farming is still the main business it is very much in the hands of just a few people.
Neil Langridge took us down Memory Lane with a review of Ian Petchey’s book ‘ The Ipswich to Stowmarket Navigation – John Rennie’s First Canal Project.’
i hope you enjoyed our Christmas 2022 quiz, we are currently working on a quiz relating to SLHG’s ‘Tribute to King Charles III’. Watch this space!
