Elsenham Report 2012

The History of our Village goes back prior to the Domesday Book. We are lucky to have a complete set of Parish Council Minutes spanning in excess of 100 years since their first Meeting. Much is being researched into the Village’s past. I am extremely grateful that we now have a very active Village History society. I express my sincere thanks to their Secretary, Mike Rea who has contributed to this account. It is impossible to divorce the proceedings of the History Society from my small part as the Village History Recorder for RUH.

During 2012 the, ‘Elsenham Village History Society,’ to give it its full and correct title met as follows:

On 7 March, the Speaker was Tim Turner on ‘Antique Fakes and Forgeries’.

On 6 June, the Speaker was Stan Sutherland on ‘Why start Family History’.

On 7 November it was a members’ evening and Alan Taylor gave a marvellous talk on the Elsenham War Memorial. A sub-committee has been doing much research on the soldiers who are named on the Memorial. Funding has been obtained, a professional researcher employed and with the wealth of information gained it is planned to produce a book.

In addition the Society organised an outing to Dunmow Museum on 30 June.

During 2012, a major activity has been working with the Parish Council to preserve the lych-gate and mortuary chapel at Elsenham High Street Cemetery. Since work started in the spring, the lych-gate has been almost completely refurbished fit for another 100 years and the Mortuary Chapel has been surveyed ready to prepare a schedule of works. The History Society has organised a number of open days to raise the profile of this forgotten building. In the longer term it hopes to make the building available for the benefit of the village as a small exhibition venue and a committee room.

I have continued to collect and make available further photos of ‘Elsenham Past’. Yet another filing cabinet has been placed this time within the Cemetery Chapel. Further Binders of photos and documents have been placed in the cabinets in the Village Hall.

In 2013 the Village School celebrates 150 years at its existing location. In addition to assisting the FOES (Friends of Elsenham School), with some sort of reunion, other things are planned. There is a book planned on the history of the School and the Chairman of the History Society (Gordon Barker) and myself as Vice-Chairman are corresponding with a lady from USA, who is coming to Elsenham this year - she is related to a gentleman who had a school in Elsenham in 1500!

Ray Franklin – Elsenham Local History Recorder