A day conference on topics related to the development of medieval communication routes within the County of Surrey, focusing on roads, bridges, causeways etc.

The day will start with a general introduction by Prof John Blair, illustrated by his ongoing research along the valley of the Upper Thames. This will be followed by shorter presentations on specific examples within Surrey. The afternoon will conclude with an informal open session where indivdual research can be presented and discussed.

Following last year’s very successful meeting on Surrey’s Medieval Towns, the next meeting of the Forum will focus again on the factors that influenced the development of medieval towns in the County featuring Croydon, Kingston, Lingfield and Haslemere.

A series of 5 lectures to be held at the Letherhead Institute Leatherhead on Monday evenings 20 April - 1 June 2009 (excl. bank holidays).

Did you know that there were more than 20 royal residences in the counties of Surrey and Middlesex?  This lecture series will cover five of the most important and interesting sites:

1000  Tea and coffee available

1030  Welcome and introduction

1035  The development of maps and estate plans  Carole Garrard, Local Studies Librarian, Surrey History Centre

Carole will talk on the historical development of mapping, illustrated by examples from Surrey; she will also demonstrate the use of the Centre's search facilities for maps and plans

1130  Rectifying and Manipulating Maps of Different Periods 

10.30am          Tea and Coffee available

10.50am          Welcome & Introduction

11.00am          Isabel Sullivan:  ‘An Introduction to Manorial Documents'.  Isabel is an archivist with an interest in Latin working at the History Centre

                       Matthew Piggott:  ‘Manorial Documents: their survival and how to locate them.'  Matthew is also an archivist at the Centre and will demonstrate the use of the online Manorial Document Register

By popular request, the autumn meeting of the Forum this year will be devoted to Surrey's medieval towns, beginning to carry forward the thinking in Martin O'Connell's 'Historic Towns in Surrey' in 1977 (SyAS Research Volume 5), Dennis Turner's contribution on towns in the 1984 'Archaeology of Surrey to 1540' and the contributions by Phil Andrews and John Schofield in the 2004 'Aspects' volume.

Programme

10.15am          Tea and coffee available

St Mary's Church, Guildford

All members of the Society are welcome to attend meetings of the Forum, the next being a day devoted to Surrey's medieval churches, with varied contributions on their architecture and place in society.

THE CORPUS OF ROMANESQUE SCULPTURE IN BRITAIN AND IRELAND: SURREY - MONASTERIES, ROYALTY AND SURVIVAL.

Sabrina Harcourt-Smith, who is working on the Surrey material for the online Corpus.

WRITING GUIDEBOOKS TO SURREY CHURCHES - SOURCES AND PROBLEMS