Sue Smith received a bouquet of flowers from the Chairman, Stewart Squires, on 2 December. Sue has served the Society faithfully as the clerk/typist and admin assistant at Jews' Court for twenty years, for which we are all very grateful.

Dr Tim Lomas, a member of the SLHA Local History Committee, is both Chairman-elect of the British Association for Local History and Vice President of the Historical Association. At Jews' Court on Sunday 25 November he highlighted several current issues and trends from a national perspective.

The number of local societies in the UK continues to grow, though the average age of participants is high and finding volunteers to run societies is often difficult.

Archive material is being digitised on a huge scale for accessibility on the internet - excellent - but the quality and accuracy of the process is not always high. 

Joint funding is becoming the usual way of publishing books and achieving other projects.

It is a matter of concern that teachers receive little training in the teaching of history and that as a consequence very little local history is taught in schools.

In the early 19th century water was piped from the nearby river Witham to tanks in the roof of Belton House, where it was available in the event of fire.  The gardens' spectacular fountains were supplied from the same source.

In a short illustrated talk at Jews' Court on 25 November, Chris Lester quoted details from the original specification for the work and showed an illustration of the original waterwheel-driven pump by John Braithwaite, now at the Science Museum.

The pump house, 12-foot wheel and sluice control still survive and have been surveyed by the SLHA IA team.

More work has to be done to understand other aspects of water supply, drainage and sewerage at Belton house.  The society is also assisting the National Trust in new interpretation of this aspect of the property.
 

The annual SLHA Archaeology Day on Saturday 6 October broke new ground. The event was held at St Wulfram's Church, Grantham, rather than Lincoln and the contributions from seven eminent speakers, about churches and church architecture in Lincolnshire, were based on the relatively recent past.

It was a most stimulating day for the audience of over 70 attendees and it seemed entirely appropriate to have lectures delivered from the pulpit of this fine church.

The conference received a warm welcome by the Rector, Revd. Chris Andrews, and at the end of the afternoon Professor Philip Dixon led an informative tour of St Wulfram's, assuredly one of Lincolnshire's greatest churches.
 

Though variable and uncontrollable, the power of the wind is free. Over the centuries man has devised machines using wind power to mill grain, drive drainage pumps, generate electricity and run other machinery.

Speakers at SLHA's conference at Bishop Grosseteste University College on Saturday 22 September gave a history of wind-powered machinery from the mills of the medieval period to today's wind turbines. Special attention was paid to Lincolnshire's distinctive tower windmills and two speakers gave detailed accounts of restoration and operation in Moulton and Lincoln respectively.

The speakers and their subjects were:

• John Sass - The Development of the Lincolnshire Tower Mill
• John Boucher - The Restoration of Moulton Tower Mill
• Catherine Wilson - The Windmill Paintings of Karl Wood
• Ken Lidbetter - The Changing Fortunes of Ellis's Mill, Lincoln
• Jon Sass - Traditional Wind Engines and Pumps
• David Pearce - The Development of Wind Turbines

With the theme of "Trade and Travel" it is not surprising that Lincolnshire's canals featured in this year's HODs programme. Both the Horncastle Canal and the Grantham Canal were the subject of guided walks by SLHA members.

Stewart Squires took a party along the Grantham Canal from Woolsthorpe looking at the canal and its relationship with Sewstern and Longmoor Lanes.

The party also learned how locally-mined ironstone was transported by inclined plane and railway and the impact which mining had on the landscape.

The walk finished with a visit to the canal workshop to see displays mounted by the Grantham Canal Society.

Ken Redmore took two parties around Horncastle to see features of its canal. He described how the rivers Waring and Bain were adapted to provide two basins for the town.

When the canal was opened there was a dramatic drop in the price of coal and the cost of "exporting" local produce, both of which helped to stimulate the town's economy.

Whilst the canal is no longer useable, plenty of evidence, including wharves and fine warehouses, survive.

The University of Kent are currently digging at Otby Top in Claxby parish on the site of a late Iron Age/Roman enclosure identified from crop-marks.

They have discovered the corner of the enclosure ditch, but are struggling to make sense of evidence for a hut within. Other structures are known down in the valley to the west.

The photo shows several features including post-holes.

The site was visited by a SLHA small group on Sunday 26 August.

A concise and lavishly illustrated book on Lincolnshire's distinctive breeds of farm animals was launched at Heckington Show on 29 July.

Written by Catherine Wilson, OBE, former SLHA President, and published by the Society, the book was commissioned by the Heckington and District Agricultural Society.

The Lord Lieutenant of Lincolnshire (Tony Worth) and SLHA Chairman (Stewart Squires) congratulated Catherine and commended the book.

Sue and Alan Stennett, both heavily involved in the protection and promotion of rare breeds, had provided information and photographs for the book.

It was appropriate that Alan, the veteran broadcaster, was compere for the public launch of the book in Heckington's main show ring accompanied by prize-winning animals: a Lincoln Red cow, a Lincoln Longwool sheep and a Lincolnshire Buff cockerel.
 

Lincolnshire's breeds: Lincoln Red cow, Lincolnshire Buff cockerel, Lincoln Longwool sheep.

Despite dodging the showers and flooded roads, this year's annual weekend trip, meticulously researched and organised by Ken Hollamby, proved to be yet another good mix of historical sites.

Our accommodation was at the University of Chichester, where we were given a tour around some of the older college buildings, including the lecture room used for coordinating operations during the D-Day landings in 1945.

In the evening we were guided around the ancient walls of the city and learnt about the construction and function of the bastions.

On Saturday we visited Fishbourne Roman Palace, where our guide pointed out the several deliberate errors in the famous "cupid on a dolphin" mosaic.

In the afternoon, we explored the timber-framed buildings of the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum, including Bayleaf Farmhouse, one of 47 vernacular buildings rescued from the south and east of England.

Our visit to Amberley Museum on Sunday coincided with Railway Gala weekend, and whilst some of us stayed on in the afternoon to further enjoy the exhibits others travelled to nearby Arundel Castle, whose grounds include the theatrical Duke's Garden.

Our trip concluded on Monday with a foray around Fort Cumberland near Portsmouth and a guided tour of English Heritage's archaeological laboratories housed within its ramparts.

The annual Brackenbury Lecture was held, as is the custom, at Raithby Chapel near Spilsby on the second Saturday in July.

Mervyn White of the Lincolnshire Methodist History Society, described the sequence of splinters in the church from Wesley's death to the end of the 19th century, and its impact on chapel building in Lincolnshire.

It was interesting to note that the Spilsby area remained more solidly Wesleyan than almost any other part of the county.

As part of the continuing development of the Society website the web address "www.lincolnshirepast.org.uk" was discontinued in favour of www.slha.org.uk.

Unfortunately the old address still exists on some literature and use of the address does launch the correct website at the moment but this cannot continue indefinitely so please check that you have the correct (www.slha.org.uk) address stored in your browser.

E-mails addressed to "slha@lincolnshirepast.org.uk" are rejected. Please use the address info@slha.org.uk

The walk around Willoughton on 1 July, led by Mrs Sarah Taylor, was a bit different from the usual. Sarah and her fellow local historians have studied local traders from the 18th century to present and recorded their premises in Willoughton.

The walk entailed looking at the premises, now altered considerably, or the location, now the site of a 20th century dwelling.

She introduced the party to the various traders and their families and had stories to tell of their ups and downs.

After the walk there was tea in the Village Hall, during which there was a programme with photographs of the views we have witnessed but from past years such as a house as a cycle shop with the first petrol pump in the village.

The afternoon had a very personal flavour with the addition of some past villagers sharing their memories.

Approximately 170 people came to the Spalding Local History Fair organised jointly by the SLHA and Ayscoughfee Hall.

There were 18 stands representing a wide range of interests from Archaeology to Windmills and it was good to see one of Lincolnshire's newest heritage attractions, Chain Bridge Forge, present.

It was an opportunity to learn about events and personalities in the area and further afield, to meet friends and to enjoy the atmosphere in one of Lincolnshire's outstanding buildings.

Particular thanks go to Dennis Wolfe (SLHA South Holland Group), Rod Callow (SLHA Administrator) and Julia Knight (Ayscoughfee Hall) for organising the event.

The SLHA 2012 AGM was held at Stamford Arts Centre on Saturday 16 June. Mick Jones, SLHA President, welcomed over 50 members to the meeting.

SLHA Chairman, Stewart Squires, presented the annual report and drew attention to the large number and variety of society activities held over the past year. He also commended the society's involvement in Heritage Open Days and similar festivals, as well as the work of individuals in speaking to the media on behalf of the society. A copy of the illustrated Annual Report can be viewed here.

Officers appointed for 2012/2013 were:

• Dr Mick Jones (President)
• Stewart Squires (Chairman)
• Chris Lester (Vice-Chairman)
• Chris Hewis (Treasurer)
• Revd John Wilford (Chairman, Archaeology)
• Prof John Beckett (Chairman, History of Lincolnshire)
• Brenda Webster (Chairman, Local History)
• Stewart Squires (Chairman, Industrial Archaeology)
• Ken Redmore (Chairman, Publications)
• Prof David Stocker, Neil Wright (Executive Committee Members)

The Society's special awards were announced at the AGM on 16 June.

The Flora Murray Award for 2011 was presented to the Pickworth Local History Group in recognition of their excellent work in publishing books about the village and its school and in creating an informative website. Norman Whiting received the award on behalf of the group. See the Pickworth Village Website.

Awards of Excellence were made to History of Saxilby & District Group for the well-constructed village trail they had devised, and to Dr Katharine Sykes for her book Inventing Sempringham about the Gilbertine order, founded in Lincolnshire. Read more about History of Saxilby and District Group and Katharine Sykes.

On the afternoon of 16 June, following the AGM, SLHA members visited some of Stamford's magnificent stone buildings based on a route and information provided by Leo Tours (Jean Orpin and Susan Lee).

Special visits were made to Browne's Hospital and the churches of All Saints and St John, where David Stocker provided an introduction to their architectural and historical significance.
 

The subject of the archaeology talk on 13 June was the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Kent.

The speaker, Dr Andrew Richardson of the Canterbury Archaeological Trust, is an expert on brooches of this period, many of which have been found in cemetery excavations. He has been able to identify elements that were distinctively Kentish, but with close parallels in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

There were links with Jutland, later superseded by influences from Gaul, but from the 7th century the kingdom was overshadowed by East Anglia.

The Society was proud to be represented at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Picnic at Burghley House on Wednesday 13 June along with representatives of other leading organisations in the county.

On a very warm afternoon SLHA members Ken Redmore and Stewart Squires led a group of 40 walkers on the canal towpath from Horncastle to Thornton and back along the Spa Trail, the former Woodhall-Horncastle railway line.

Beginning at the town swimming pool (once the canal's dry dock), stops were made at the first lock, Thornton Lodge railway crossing, in front of fine sculptures alongside the Spa Trail and finally on the site of Horncastle railway station.

The Horncastle Navigation opened in 1802 and closed 1889. The Horncastle to Woodhall Junction Railway opened in 1855, ceased to carry passengers in 1954 and goods in 1971.

This event, on Monday 28 May, was part of the 2012 Lincolnshire Wolds Walking Festival

The SLHA Industrial Archaeology team and the Dogdyke Pumping Station Preservation Trust joined forces on 21 May for a visit to the pumping station at Pyewipe on the Fossdyke to the west of Lincoln (SK 954720).

They were generously entertained by the Chairman, Chief Executive, Engineer and other staff members of the Upper Witham Internal Drainage Board.

The Gwynnes pumps driven by Ruston and Hornsby diesel engines - all made by Lincoln firms - of the original pumping station of 1936 were operated for the visitors.

Water was drawn at an impressive rate from the drain serving some 3300 hectares of land to the south and discharged into the adjacent Fossdyke Canal. These pumps, kept in exemplary condition, provide back-up to the electrically operated pumps installed in 1993.

Close by the pumping station is the cast iron tunnel with large concave brick portals designed by John Rennie in 1805-08 to transfer water from the Burton Main Drain to the north-west under the Fossdyke canal to the Skellingthorpe Main Drain to the south. This is a most interesting and important survival.

Over 80 people, most of them SLHA members, attended a conference on the theme of Lincolnshire Estates at Riseholme Hall, University of Lincoln, on Saturday 5 May.

The six well-qualified speakers, who took a wide range of themes and provided a very stimulating day, were:

• Andrew Jackson: The Council as Landlord: Urban Estate Development in Early Twentieth-Century Lincoln
• Rob Wheeler: The Estate Village and its Farming Tenants
• Charles Rawding: The Earls of Yarborough and the Lincolnshire Landscape
• Paul Everson & David Stocker: Monastic Estates: The Case of Barlings Abbey
• Rachel Hall: Belton Park: Landscape and Archaeology
• Tony Worth: Twentieth-Century Fenland Farming for the Markets

We are grateful to the Local History team, especially Pearl Wheatley, for devising an excellent programme, and to Rod Callow, SLHA Administrator, for meticulous organisation of the conference.

Catering and hospitality provided by the University were, as always, to a very high standard.

A coach outing to Ellys Manor House, Great Ponton, and 'Rocks by Rail' (Rutland Railway Museum), Ashwell, was enjoyed by thirty SLHA members on Saturday 21 April.

The Manor House was rebuilt in stone in the Tudor period by the Ellys family, wealthy Lincolnshire wool merchants. Its distinctive crow-stepped gable on the prominent eastern elevation is similar to contemporary houses in northern Europe of the Renaissance period.

Of outstanding interest are the early 16th century wall paintings on the first floor, widely recognised as among the country's best examples in a domestic setting. The Ellyses were also responsible for rebuilding the large tower of Holy Cross church adjacent to the Manor House in 1519.

The afternoon was spent at the Rutland Railway Museum near Ashwell which is currently being upgraded and re-branded as 'Rocks by Rail'.

The museum location is the railhead for an extensive area of ironstone quarries which were served by a network of temporary lines, though only a relatively short section of line survives.

There are a large collection of working locomotives, almost all of which worked in ironstone quarries here or elsewhere, a wide range of wagons and other related rolling stock, and excavators to undertake quarry work.

Thanks to Ken Hollamby for organising the outing; to Clive Taylor, owner of Ellys Manor; and to the knowledgeable volunteer guides at 'Rocks by Rail'.

The winner of the 2012 Undergraduate Dissertation prize awarded by the Royal Historical Society in association with the magazine History Today is Richard Lowe-Lauri of the University of Durham.

His study on the famous bull-running in Stamford was considered by the judges "a remarkable review of the historiography of an increasing compassion for animals, set within a wider debate over changing leisure patterns and the decline of traditional sports in a rapidly industrialising Britain".

An extract from the dissertation will appear in a future edition of History Today.

On 18 April Dr David Taylor of the University of Nottingham spoke to a large audience, swelled by the presence of several Cathedral Guides, about his research on the early west front of the Cathedral.

David has spent several years exploring the many chambers and voids and recording them stone by stone. As a result he has been able to suggest that there were three Romanesque phases, the second a rebuild of the first, and the final one begun by Bishop Alexander and completed by his successor Chesney.

The research has already produced an article in the latest issue of The Archaeological Journal and a book on the form of the Cathedral before St Hugh is planned in conjunction with Professors Philip Dixon and David Stocker.

This publication will explain the functions of the various chambers, from the huge garderobe in the north-west corner to the tiny rooms provisionally interpreted as singers' holes.