In 1986 we established a series of local history lectures at Husthwaite through the WEA under the leadership of Jennifer Kaner. We met for four years either in the Methodist Hall or Husthwaite School.
We developed the concept of ‘Coxwoldshire’ with the help of Bob Eyre a former geography lecturer in Leeds living in Husthwaite – that is a realisation that the group of villages around Coxwold had formed a pre Roman estate. These villages included Husthwaite, Coxwold, Baxby, Oulston, Yearsley, Thirkleby, Thornton and Osgodby.
Jennifer, who died in 2004, was a tireless researcher and provided us with much original material culled from primary sources in the Public Record Office, North Yorkshire Archives and the Borthwick Institute.
The original members of the group included Isabel Ballard, Stephen Barker, Mary and Peter Brown, John Butler, Brenda Duffield, Bob Eyre, Moira Fulton, Tony and Jane Rogers, Elaine Smith, Cynthia Wentworth, David Wilkinson and Mary Younger.
At the end of the lecture programme, which ran for four years, we decided to produce a book on the local history of the area, which we called ‘Aspects of Coxwoldshire: Historical Aspects’. Most members of the group contributed a chapter and the work was co-ordinated by David Wilkinson. It was published by William Sessions in 1992 [ISBN 1 85072 110 6] and was a success, selling over 1000 copies almost immediately. A few copies are still available from the publisher Sessions of York.
Following the book we decided to form the Husthwaite History Society, which continues to the present day. It has produced many books on the village, including a millennium review of Husthwaite and its inhabitants – ‘Husthwaite Then and Now’.
Details of all publications can be found here.