July 2026

Our members introduced us to a range of extracts from historic books.

We started with the Domesday Book, learning of its origins and an extract regarding Gedling and Stoke Bardolph.

We then moved to Egypt where a 1600 year old mummy has been discovered buried with pages from the Iliad to guide them through the afterlife.

Returning to East Anglia we heard extracts from letters written in medieval times by the Paston family. Wealthy land owners, they were also prolific letter writers and there is an anthology of them.

Samuel Pepys was a well-known 17th century diarist as well as an important government figure. We heard of his travels to restore Charles II to the English throne.

Charles Gerring was the Netherfield church choirmaster when he published a “History of Gedling” in 1908. We heard a brief history of the development of Netherfield in late Victorian times.